


Of Babies, Curses, Assasins and Closure

by Infinitely_Zero



Series: Of Babies, Curses, Assasins and Closure [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Body Horror, Character Death, Closure, Crossdressing, Flame Harmonization (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Flame Lore (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Graphic Violence, Grief/Mourning, Identity Issues, M/M, Mindbreak, Pre-Canon, Reincarnation, Shen Jiu becomes Mammon | Viper, Suicide, Talbot is an Earthling, Torture, Trust Issues, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2020-12-01 23:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 46,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20935400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Infinitely_Zero/pseuds/Infinitely_Zero
Summary: “So?” Shen Qingqiu looked down at the cowering man disdainfully, channeling all the years of being Peak Lord into a single glare, “What right do you have to question me, Skull de Mort?”“Viper,” Fon murmured loud enough for all of them to hear, “Skull was talking about how you nearly burnt down the kitchen last time you cooked.”Shen Jiu harrumphed and turned back to the burnt breakfast sitting with an illusion over it. Fon sighed.Or in which we give Shen Jiu a second chance after suffering so much.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I decided that SV needs more crossovers with not MXTX stories, SJ only needed someone with a decent relationship with him to just F*CKING CHOOSE THE RIGHT DIALOGUE OPTION ALREADY and 79 is best ship.
> 
> Long live 79. 
> 
> Sorry BingJiu, you are too packed full of angst and non-con that I just can’t deal with rn.

Drip.  
Drip..  
Drip...

The rushing acidic water forms a curtain around a stone platform. Stained with blood, the phantom screams still echoed within the halls of this prison. 

In the middle of the stone platform was a man, chained with iron long rusted and limbs no longer there. Hair once bound tightly into a half updo loose and matted with grime and blood, robes once pristine and befitting an immortal now torn and filthy beyond compare. 

Not even a small distance for an ant away were shards of metal. 

Shen Qingqiu was the Peak Lord of Qing Jing and Shen Jiu was a street rat and slave. 

But what did it matter now? Shen Qingqiu, Shen Jiu, even if he was named anything else, everything would still be the same. 

Qi-ge was dead. What did it matter anymore?

Qi-ge, Yue Qi, Yue Qingyuan. 

“I’ve never valued that thing called loyalty, so all my loyalty for this life, I give to you!” 

What a joke. 

What a f*cking joke. 

His entire life must be a joke. Something to laugh at by the higher beings. 

It must be. It has to be. Else...else all this shouldn’t be normal right? Which human, in the course of their lifetime, suffered as much as this without anyone? 

Or have the gods condemned him to this?

Why? 

Qi-ge...

Drip...  
Drip..  
Drip.

Something catches in Shen Jiu’s mouth, the meager sense of taste he had left without a tongue telling it was salty. Another droplet of liquid rolls down his face and he realizes belatedly—

I’m... crying?

“Haha...ahahaha...” Crying. He was crying? 

When was the last time he cried? Not when Luo Binghe tortured him. Not when everything he built up for years was broken down in a single movement. Not when Wu Yanzi forced him to kill. Not when the Qiu burnt down. Not even when he was at the Qiu. 

Of course. Of course it was Qi-ge that made him cry. 

It was always about Qi-ge. 

His entire life, loyalty, love, did they not all belong to Qi-ge? It was so unfair. So, so unfair of him. 

The entirety of his adolescence, did he not wait for Qi-ge to come back and save him? Even when he didn’t, the rsst of his life was full of waiting and waiting and waiting for just one thing. 

Qi-ge, ah, Yue Qi you fool. Couldn’t you have just explained once? 

Or was I not worth it after all?

The one still remaining eye of his closed and he wondered. Just what else did he have to hold onto? 

Qi-ge was dead. 

And Shen Jiu had no purpose without Yue Qi. 

The shards of Xuan Su, Qi-ge’s sword, sat like a siren tempting a self-assured man to their death. That beast had left him with a way out. 

Then, he should use it, right?

Leaning forward, the chains easily snapped under the added pressure after so long of nothing. Shen Qingqiu had no hands, so he bit one of the shards and—

—swallowed. 

He was not a street performer. Shen Jiu had never attempted to swallow a sword before, so he did not know how to do so without hurting himself. 

That was good. 

His instincts screamed at him, honed by years and years of simply trying to survive, don’t, he’ll die. 

That was the objective. 

Blood gushed out and he choked. Coughs hacking at his chest and the foul, familiar taste of iron greeting him. He had to hurry, though, lest the beast find out this attempt and bring him back from death’s loving embrace. 

Qi-ge, Qi-ge, I’ll meet you soon, alright? Your Xiao Jiu is coming. 

The next thing Shen Qingqiu knew, he was crying yet again. 

Wrapped in warm cloth and held oh so lovingly, Shen Jiu’s first thought as he felt around and only sensed a tiny body with barely any control over itself was, ‘Can I please die again?’


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One can never guess what fate has in store for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some very self-depreciating thoughts courtesy of Shen Jiu in here. If you are disturbed or in any way affected by them, please talk to someone or get a professional. I do not condone suicide or self-harm.

It had been a full year ever since Shen Jiu woke up as a newborn.

This place he was in was either not the same land he lived and knew of or it was another world entirely. He had had to learn a language, a new one that he had never once heard of which is, well, Shen Qingqiu was the Peak Lord of Qing Jing. Qing Jing was famous for it's scholars, go tell. 

His parents were--they were nice. Too nice. 

It made him feel as if they would do something to him and betray him. Shen Jiu had had enough betrayals by Yue Qi and fate to last him more than ten lifetimes, what was another one from the only parental figures he had ever had? Nothing. It was nothing and would amount to nothing, they couldn't do anything to him that would make him despair because he had always known that-that everyone would betray him one way or another. 

It was merely life.

Adelaide, his mother was a petite woman with gentle black eyes, she doesn't have a particularly striking appearance but is beautiful nonetheless. The only thing memorable to the average peron about her was her somehow natural purple hair. She smiled and picked him up, cooing over how cute he apparently was. Shen Jiu's body pouted in accordance to his emotions and she smiled even brighter. Gah, stop it! This body knew no control!

"Vermont," she calls him. Shen Qingqiu guessed that it was his name from now on. "Ti comporti bene questa volta? La mamma ha bisogno di darti da mangiare, non essere cattiva, va bene?" (Will you behave this time? Mother needs to feed you, don't be bad, alright?)

Shen could only barely understand what she was saying but he grunted and turned away, not wanting to do so. He needed to learn more about this world.

Mother sighed in exasperation and tried to coax him again. He struggled against her until she put the former Peak Lord down and he walked around as gracefully as he could, struggling to maintain his achieved poise when he could barely walk several ten steps without stumbling. It was utterly humiliating. 

(He could still feel the phantom pain of his legs and arms being ripped off every time. Sometimes, he would forget he had limbs entirely and stare at them blankly for hours on end, not processing what he was seeing.)

Desiderio, his father was quite a big person, in contrast from his wife. Dark purple eyes and brown hair, it was an odd combination. He comes home from work at that moment, barging into the door with an excited shout and picking up and twirling his wife around. "Tesoro! Come sei stato oggi?" He asks, after giving her a loud kiss that made Shen Jiu grimace with how shameless it was. (Sweetheart! How have you been today?)

"Buono! Il nostro Vermont ha cercato di camminare da solo, non è così intelligente?" She answers, looking her husband in the eye with such love that Shen Qingqiu could feel it radiating from where he was across the room from this shameless couple. Shen's father laughs, a loud thing, and announces proudly, "Naturalmente il nostro bambino è intelligente! Guarda sua madre!" (Good! Our Vermont has been trying to walk all by himself, isn't he so smart?/Of course our child is smart! Just look at his mother!)

Adelaide blushes and Desiderio takes to finally noticing his son that had been standing in the corner watching them. The man grins and kneels so he's only a little taller than Shen Jiu, which, this body was small for its age. He holds out his hands and keeps the stupid grin on, demanding with a coddling tone, "Vieni da papà, Vermont!" (Come to papa, Vermont!)

Instead of doing what he was told to, Shen Jiu completely ignored his father and ducked under his arms to get to his mother.

Father gasped and clutched at his chest in mock hurt, "Vermont! Non ami più papà?!" He fake-gagged and slowly laid himself down on the floor, fake-sobbing and fake-choking all the while, "Come hai potuto?! Morto, ora sono morto, bleh." (Vermont! Do you not love papa anymore?!/How could you?! Dead, I'm dead now, bleh.)

Shen Jiu huffed and grabbed his mother's skirt, sticking his tongue out at his father.

Their family was poor.

Shen Jiu knew that and he was just wondering about when the day will come that his parents sell him or give him away or something. But that just never happened. 

Even when they had found him scratching at his neck until it bled and screaming as he was racked with nightmares at night, even as he gets into fights with the other kids and win it because this time, he was prepared and had strengthened his body and started cultivating at the youngest age possible. 

They never let him go, instead quietly supporting him and being there whenever he needed. 

It... this...

Qi-ge had used to do the same thing, but then he left. He left and never came back.

Hope was oh so dangerous to have. Even if they never left him, these parents of his would probably betray him sooner or later. They have to. They have to...

Else he wouldn't know what to do.

Despite their financial problems, they made him go to school. The public one and was probably the cheapest but was a luxury to them, Shen Qingqiu, being the scholar that he was and being faced with the opportunity to learn about this world and everything in general, studied hard and proceeded to ace absolutely everything via his iron trap of a memory. The teachers loved having him as a student, he heard, but didn't particularly care.

His parent's faces whenever they were handed his completely unblemished and perfect grades were enough to make his heart warm. Which was weird. Why did his chest feel warm?

Ever since he had been allowed around the neighborhood, Shen Jiu had set a goal to get his body in shape as best as he could and so he could start cultivating earlier than he had in his past life. His parents seemed to think it was a phase that would soon stop, that was fine.

One day, during a stroll, a snake came out of nowhere and wrapped around his leg.

"什麼...？！" He blurts out, the long years of not having to wear any mask bringing up some bad habits. Shen Jiu needed to fix that, really. (What the...?!) 

He leans down and looks at the snake, the bamboo green color of its scales a familiar shade, and Shen Qingqiu felt a horribly familiar presence. That, it couldn't be, right?! No way! 

Stil, he whispered, "Xiu Ya...?"

The snake perked up and flicked a tongue out at him at which he childishly rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out back. His parents would be absolutely panicked if they saw this snake version of Xiu Ya and watching them would be... amusing. So Shen Jiu, nine-years-old and positively devious, came home with a snake coiled on his leg and watches with amusement as his parents shout at him and each other and the innocent snake. 

Xiu Ya never left and refused to be fed. Shen Qingqiu figured that it had to do with the decreasing rats around, that was fine, they needed the pest infestation to just go away anyways.

He found out soon enough that the city he lived in was a more rural part of the country and was completely overrun by mafia. 

His parents explained to him that, should he ever see anything happening to anyone, he was to turn and pretend he never saw it. Or else they would kill him too. They whispered about the mafia, everything they knew about it and spent the rest of the day looking over their shoulders as if someone were watching.

There wasn't, in fact, anyone watching. Shen Qingqiu would have noticed.

“Vermont!” His mother calls, Shen Jiu pausing and looking up from where he was buried in a book borrowed from the library and two stacks of books beside him. Adelaide sighs and brings a hand to his head, ruffling his hair. “Ehi, ehi, ehi, cosa devo fare con te? Dai, la cena è già fredda!” (Aih, aih, aih, what am I to do with you? Come on, dinner is already cold!)

“Mamma, ancora qualche minuto?” He asks, doing his best impression of a kicked puppy. His mother visibly wavers but resolves herself again, darn, it didn’t work anymore. “Vermont, mangia la tua cena o almeno mi aiuti...” (Mother, just a few more minutes?/Vermont, eat your dinner or so help me god...)

Shen Qingqiu was a wise man. He took one look at the murderous expression on his mother’s face and obediently ate his meal.

A sigh followed and Vermont looked up at his mother, wondering what she wanted. 

“Vermont. Abbiamo bisogno di fare una chiacchierata.” Oh no. That was her no-nonsense-or-else tone. What happened? “Ma prima aspettiamo tuo padre, va bene?” (We need to have a talk. But we’ll wait for your father first, alright?)

He was eleven now, his parents finally letting him go farther than the block they were in as long as he came back within two hours and not after five-thirty. He thought it was somewhat reasonable, this place was chock full of mafioso and he had barely reached the Foundation ranks. His body would not be able to handle a bullet, which, by the way, guns were supremely interesting. 

But they have had this somber mood for a while now and privately, Shen Jiu always thinks that they were preparing to finally give him away. It was fine, he told himself even as his chest squeezed painfully. It was fine, completely fine, he had always known that they would betray him one way or the another. Yet, yet it still hurt.

Why did it hurt so much?

At that point of time, his father walks into the house. Where he would normally cheer and pick up his wife and give her a twirl and grin at him before asking how his day was, now he sighed mournfully and put his things away. 

Mother had taken to doing odd jobs here and there, somewhere along the line getting a stable part-time job. Father had started going home later and later, today was an exception to the nowadays' late times he would get home, Shen Jiu sometimes hearing him come into the house at midnight when mother was dead asleep and he was meditating. It felt so off every time it happened that he would get the urge to just go outside and greet him to just have some expression on and not that dead one he had been wearing more often.

"Caro, davvero...?" His mother asks with a clear hesitation, hand lingering on Shen Qingqiu's shoulder. His father looks at them and perks up, a grin lifting his lips from that off expression. "Mn, almeno ho avuto lo stipendio completo per questo mese mentre a malapena alzavo un dito!" (Dear, did they really...?/Mn, at least I got the full salary for this month while barely lifting a finger!)

Shen Jiu stared at the two blankly, hoping that they were merciful enough to not beat around the bush, else he might do something. 

"Vermont, cara, madre e padre stanno per essere... saremo coinvolti in alcune cose molto pericolose." Mother hesitated but says bluntly. Father stand behind her with a pleading look and adds in, "Cosa pensi che dovremmo fare?" (Vermont, dear, mother and father are going to be... we are going to be involved in some very dangerous things./What do you think we should do?)

...wait what?

His shock must have been apparent on his face because father starts to make the impression of a kicked puppy and mother's expression shutters into a defensive blank one.

He had expected them to bulldoze on, not getting his opinion, but...

"Penso che voi due siate idioti e che abbiate bisogno di ripensare le cose. La mafia non è uno scherzo." He tells them, watching with a faint relief as their expressions show they let their guard down ever so slightly. Bad idea, but he wouldn't take advantage of that. Xiu Ya slithered up his leg and laid its head on his lap, watching his parents. (I think you two are idiots and need to rethink things. The mafia is no joke.)

The two of them simultaneously blanched at the sight of Xiu Ya so intimately close to Shen Jiu when he never lets his own parents too close and sigh, "Sono serio, Vermont. Ci è stata data un'offerta e..." what wasn't said was that they had no choice but to take up that offer. (I'm serious, Vermont. We were given an offer and...)

"Allora, di cosa volevi parlarmi? Arriva al punto." Shen Jiu hissed, voice almost wavering. (So, what did you want to talk to me about? Get to the point.)

He didn't want to be abandoned, he realizes belatedly. He expected it, but it doesn't mean he has to like or want it, did he? That would be... horrible.

Father--Desiderio, Shen Jiu reminds himself with not a small amount of desperation--reaches out and settles a hand on his head, Xiu Ya staring unerringly at the bigger man. "Vermont, io e tua madre ci uniremo a una famiglia di mafiosi. Sarà molto pericoloso per te, quindi dovrai vivere da solo per un po '." (Vermont, your mother and I are going to join a mafia family. It is going to be very dangerous for you, so you'll have to live on your own for a while.)

"E?" Shen Qingqiu raises a brow and waits, his parents sharing an odd look before looking back at him. (And?)

No one said anything for a few moments and Shen was starting to worry when his mother--Adelaide, he reminds himself with an odd vehement tone--suddenly awkwardly says, "Questo è tutto." (That's it.)

...wait what?

That was it? No kicking him out, no abandoning him, no selling him to the mafia? 

Had these people been in his last world, they would have gotten torn to shreds in only several hours. Goodness and kindness--Qi-ge doesn't count, he's too good for the world--has never had a place in his last world, why should it exist in this world?

Was he too dirty to be placed somewhere where good people existed? But that didn't make sense! 

A question that was largely ignored but still resided deep inside popped out to the forefront of his mind, "Why am I here?"

Shen Qingqiu was a scum and trash of the lowest grade, he had gotten what he deserved in the Water Prison and the time spent with the beast. Redemption? Laughable. Not even Qi-ge who saw the good in everyone had been able to trust him when he told him that he didn't kill Liu Qingge, Qi-ge didn't defend him against Qiu Haitang. If not even Qi-ge who had single-handedly raised him and saw the good in everybody had seen him worthy of forgiveness or even time--

\--why was he here?

Shen Qingqiu didn't deserve to live, but shamelessly continues to do so. Previously, he had continued to live because he wanted to, because he wanted to hear Yue Qingyuan's explanation. Now, now, what purpose did he have to live for?

He was Vermont now, his parent's oh-so-beloved prodigy son. Teacher's favorite student, gangs' best choice for a recruit, all that... really didn't matter at all.

Even so, even so. Shen Jiu watches his parents and sees that they are in no way joking. He sighs and nods, asking, "Dov'è questo posto dove devo trasferirmi?" At which point his parents share a confused look and tells him, "Non devi muoverti, noi invece resteremo nella loro base per un periodo di tempo sconosciuto." (Where is this place I have to move to?/You don't have to move, we on the other hand, are going to stay in their base for an unknown amount of time.)

That was dangerous! He wanted to say but instead looks down and nods again, ever so slightly. 

His parents beam at him and Shen Qingqiu finds his heart and cheeks warming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used a translator, sorry if that offended anyone. There are going to be a lot of languages in this fic, but I'll resort to English, Italian, Japanese and Chinese the most, though there will be hints of other languages.
> 
> SJ, being faced with basic human decency after a lifetime of none of it: What is this? Why are you doing this?? *wracked with doubt and insecurity


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The person you are today is not the same person you were yesterday.

For all that they lived in a rural town, it was actually a somewhat decent trading center. Shen Jiu says this, of course, because he sees a stall selling little trinkets. Blank paper fans among them. 

Immediately, he asks his father, “Father, may I buy a fan?”

Father looks at the stall he was pointing at and furrows his brows. He had been promoted a little while ago and their economy was good enough that they could spare some money for a folding fan, of course, but father likely didn’t know what Shen Jiu was truly asking for. 

A weapon. 

Xiu Ya slithered out of his sleeve and stared eerily at his father, clearly wavering at the teary eyes of his son and the silent glare of the snake. He sighed, “Fine, fine. Come on, which one did you want?”

Mother giggled next to them and spotted something she either liked or wanted, going to a fruit vendor’s stall. 

Father picked out a random fan and unfolded, folded, then unfolded it again. Shen Jiu stared at it, before deeming it unworthy and going to pick out another one when Xiu Ya directed him to one of them whose wood looked a little old. 

Shen Qingqiu picked it up and felt small undulations of qi going through it. Almost-smiling, he asks his father for this one. 

He had just found a jackpot. 

Xiu Ya hissed and slithered back into Shen’s long sleeve. The vendor smiled and praised him, “Ah, the young one has a good eye! That one’s wood is different, but I can’t figure out what makes it so good.”

Shen Jiu unfolded it and covered the lower half of his face, a habit ingrained in him. He let himself smile briefly before saying, “The wood is quite old, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes. The tree from where the wood came from was very old.” Father seemed confused but just paid for the fan nonetheless. They walked together for a while before finally being unable to contain his curiosity and asking Shen Jiu, “What does age have to do with anything?”

Shen Jiu was about to launch into one of his usual lectures before remembering that his father would understand sh*t about what he’s saying. So he tells him, “The older the plant, the more energy it absorbed.”

This was true. Only, it took more than a hundred years before a plant was able to absorb enough energy for a cultivator to feel and nearly a thousand years before it gained sentience. Ommitting this particular bit of information wouldn’t hurt anyone, especially because he suspected that cultivation sects were so secluded no one knew about them or they did not know of cultivation at all. 

It was in the way that no one had any cultivation, in the way that some people had so much energy but not any cultivation. 

To Shen Jiu, it was horribly weird. 

Mother walked up to them again, handing Shen Jiu an apple and father a pear. She herself held a piece of watermelon. 

He flicked his fan, folding it and shoving it into his belt before biting into the apple. 

Xiu Ya coiled a little tighter around his arm and Shen Jiu narrowed his eyes, spreading his spiritual sense. It was almost overwhelming, considering that they were in a crowded market. 

There, a huge amount of energy in one individual. 

He had learned that the mafia had ranks.

The lower ones had the same amount of energy as anyone else, but held themselves the most suspiciously. The middle ranked people were more wary and were harder to spot in a crowd. The higher ranked ones were the hardedt to find to a normal person, but Shen Jiu could feel the sheer amount of energy in that person. It was like a beacon among small light bulbs. 

So far, there had been four different individuals with such high energy levels. This was the fifth one and it didn’t bode well with him. 

He grabbed his parent’s arms, making sure that his father got the sticky hand with the apple and lead them away from that person. They were involved with the mafia and it would not do if that person was an enemy. 

Mother questioned him quietly, “What is it, Vermont?”

“There’s someone strong there. Not taking chances.”

Father hummed, eyes dark and hand going to the gun hidden in his jacket. Mother tsked and took Shen Jiu by the shoulders, father letting him go and walking with his back inclined to them. 

They made it back home without any scares. 

Shen Jiu wanted to complain. It had been a rare day where his parents could spend time with him and not have anyone at their backs. His luck was still as sh*tty as ever. 

He was twelve now, but his parents still didn’t let him anywhere near the knives. 

They would make a better and more lethal weapon than the fan he now had on him. Xiu Ya was venomous but was only a snake, he couldn’t rely on it. 

Xiu Ya slithered out of his clothes and started climbing his rigid father’s leg. It seemed to like freaking his parents out. 

Good. It was absolutely amusing. 

They left during the evening, after dinner. His parents beamed at his stories about whatever happened in school and how this one kid sh*t his pants in front of the entire class when Xiu Ya slithered out and stared at him. He then asked them, “Should I skip to the next grade?”

“No,” his mother immediately said. “You should enjoy your youth.”

He wanted to reject that notion. People had childhoods only once and he spent that childhood begging on the streets and as a slave in the Qiu Family and waiting for Qi-ge. He had no actual friends, they were just friendly acquaintances who wanted to be on good terms with him so he could help them with their studies. Xiu Ya didn’t attend class, he didn’t need to wait. 

But then his mother smiled at him so brightly and he couldn’t bring himself to shatter this comfortable atmosphere. 

Shen Jiu would bring it up on a later date. 

Hopefully. 

For the first time in a while, this tiny apartment he called home seemed so light. 

Another year passes this way. Shen Jiu staying at home and every once in a while, his parents would come home and they would spend some time together. 

Xiu Ya had grown a lot ever since Shen Qingqiu had first brought him home. Now, the snake was about as big as his arm and as long as Shen Jiu was tall. It was disconcerting to anyone that Shen apparently kept a snake as a pet, much less such a big one. This year, however, he didn’t grow much at all. 

‘Xiu Ya must have stopped growing,’ Shen Jiu thought to himself. 

That was a good thing. Really. He didn’t want a monster snake accidentally breaking things. 

The point is that Xiu Ya could no longer stay on Shen Jiu’s person for too long, he was heavy, alright?! 

But when the sword-turned-snake slithered up Shen Jiu’s leg and coiled a little tighter than needed, he knew immediately that something was up. Something bad. 

Shen Qingqiu was actually already on the last ranks of Foundation, but he did not want to form his golden core. Yet. For one, forming a golden core while still a child meant that he would physically stay a child for the rest of his life and while Shen Jiu was not that vain, he did not want to look like a small child the rest of this life. Two, heavenly tribulation lightning would rain down and set everything on fire. Three, well, there was no three but—but you get the idea!

That meant that he had opened his five senses more than the normal human and could sense things better. Hear, see, smell, taste and feel better. 

Right now? 

He was smelling faint gunpowder and the pounding of footsteps storming into the hallway outside the apartment. 

That could only mean bad things. Xiu Ya coiled even tighter before springing off and slithering to his room, right! He could fit inside the cupboards. Shen Jiu was grateful for his small build in this life for once, thanking his mother for the inherited genes. 

Then he realized that the cupboards were full of books and promptly dumped them all on his bed, slamming the doors shut. 

Shouting, gunshots. 

Shen Jiu prepared his fan and started charging his spiritual energy, reciting several incantations to calm down and watching the seals he put on the fan glow. Xiu Ya was coiled on his forearm, tense and ready to strike at the first living thing that appears. 

They reached the place he was in, muttering in confusion. The sounds of them thrashing Shen Jiu’s home and the sound of paper being ripped had him fighting the urge of shredding these self-centered idiots into shreds. How dare they touch his books!

A gunshot rang out in the room and Shen Jiu banged his head on the wall of the cupboard, a loud sound created. The bullet hole was right beside him, the bullet having passed right in front of his eyes. Xiu Ya hissed and the chattering got louder and louder. They started to open the door and Shen Qingqiu decided to help them. 

He kicked them open and slashed his fan in front of him, a sharp wind blade lodging into their chests before dispersing and blowing them to the other side of the room. Xiu Ya lunged and bit the person who didn’t get hit, Shen Jiu immediately taking it away from the person and sprinting towards the exit. 

Then a person with high energy levels blocked his path, a flurry of blue flames—which, what??—making him drop down. 

The telltale click of the safety trigger on a gun being shut off and still warm metal pressed against his head made Shen Jiu freeze. 

In a last ditch attempt, he summoned a storm of spiritual energy, exhausting himself while the high energy guy ranted and monologued about catching the son of the traitors titled Gold Bullet Desiderio and Silver Blade Adelaide. Were those his parent’s titles? Why did they sound so weird?

Everyone shouted and quite a few were stabbed by debris that they had left. It was an improvisation of his move, instead of using leaves and flowers he used just anything light in the surroundings. 

Xiu Ya was severely affected by whatever that blue fire was and was still curled up around his forearm, sluggish. His fan was in his hand and the time he spent sharpening the tips of it used as he shakily stood up and—

—was kicked down again. 

The blue flame was used again and Shen Qingqiu saw that the high energy man was—he was using a leafblower. 

He couldn’t help but burst into peals of laughter. 

It was all too much. This entire thing. They can’t kill the parents so they kill the son, was this not so typical of humans? It seems that even this world had people like in his past world. Too much, it was too funny. 

If he had had this life first, would he still turn out like this? Or would he be a good person?

It was such a joke. Such a f*cking joke. 

Shen Qingqiu was, is a scum. Nothing could change that. 

These people reminded him so much of his past world. It was hilarious the irony. The high level energy bastard looked angered and shouted something, but he couldn’t hear anything. 

To Shen Jiu, he was surrounded by all the people who hurt him and he hurt in return, except one. Qiu Jianluo was shouting something incomprehensible as he held him by the neck now, Wu Yanzi sneering as he took Xiu Ya, and that beast—

Luo Binghe smiled that damned smile of his and set the place on fire. 

Qi-ge—

Qi-ge, where are you this time?

The place was set alight once more with indigo flames replacing blue ones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in one go and finally I understand how authors feel when they are excited about a story of theirs.
> 
> About Xiu Ya, I don’t actually have a species of snake in mind for it. I’m just bullsh*tting everything about it and using it as plot pushers. But he’s definitely albino, if that helps.
> 
> Next chapter, we finally see more people from actual canon KHR. Yay! Can you guess? They wear top hats.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Look in the mirror, you see not yourself, but the one accompanying you your whole life.

If Shen Qingqiu were to be honest, he did not want to die. 

He did not want to die, but he didn’t want to live either. 

Living, it meant being hurt and hurting others constantly. A cycle that he recognized when that beast came back with all the fury of one that wants revenge. 

Dying, it meant going against everything that he was in the past life, a survivor. But he survived being a street rat because he needed to take care of Qi-ge. He survived the Qiu Family because he waited for Qi-ge, he survived Wu Yanzi because he wanted to find Yue Qi’s remains, at least until he found out that the idiot was still alive. He survived Qing Jing and came out as Peak Lord, because he wanted to know whatever reason Yue Qi had for leaving him. 

He didn’t want to die, but living had connotations that he didn’t like. 

He realized it then, when Qiu Jianluo choked him and he was about to black out that. “I want to live.”

To see his parents again, at least. He hadn’t told them about how he was reincarnated, he hadn’t told them about his cultivation and Xiu Ya. He wanted to live, if only to see his parents proud of him. 

The pretty purple flame sent everyone around them tearing at themselves and each other, screaming gibberish and everything. Xiu Ya coiled around his torso, laying its head on Shen Jiu’s. 

Of course, this was what his parents rushed home to see. 

Perfect. 

They asked him what happened, the bruises and everything blooming and the pain finally catching up to him. He sighed and told them honestly what happened, omitting the fact that Xiu Ya may or may not have killed some of them by way of venom and that he may or may not have sent a bunch of men flying across the room. Not like they would believe it anyways. 

“Vermont,” mother says in her “you-don’t-get-a-say-in-this” tone. “You’re going to move. It isn’t safe here anymore.”

Yeah, no sh*t mom. He snorts, petting Xiu Ya who loosens its grip on him ever so slightly. On another note, though... “Golden Bullet Desiderio and Silver Blade Adelaide? Really? You couldn’t have gotten a better title?”

Father revealed an exasperated face. “They chose it for us. By the time people listened, those titles had long become concrete.”

Shen Jiu rolls his eyes and says nothing more. A few more pleasantries, then his parents go out of the room and start discussing what to do in a language that Shen didn’t know yet, sometiems yelling at each other. He didn’t mind, the two of them certainly needed to cool off a bit and it was better than taking it out on some random people who wouldn’t understand. 

They left him alone with Xiu Ya who slithered onto his hands and kept nudging them. Shen Jiu took two hands away from himself and willed it...

There. The purple fire that had appeared. 

It was a dark purple, almost opaque even at the edges where it was supposed to taper off. Xiu Ya hissed and excitedly—

—swallowed it. The fire. The fireball. 

“Xiu Ya!” Shen Jiu hissed, switching to Mandarin in a panic. “What are you doing?!”

“Trying to interact verbally with you, Shen Qingqiu.” A voice suddenly rang in his head. Shen Jiu whipped around before looking back at Xiu Ya, realizing. “How?!”

Xiu Ya snorts and tells him, “Mist Flames, this one however is not a variety I’ve seen. I suppose I will have to explain it to you?”

“What do you think?” Shen asked back, dripping with sarcasm. Mist Flames? What the hell is this? And why are they purple? This is not some kind of weird *ss fictional world!

“Alright. Where to start...,” Xiu Ya circled around Shen Jiu’s neck loosely, putting itself across his shoulders like a scarf. “Dying Will Flames are highly concentrated energies, making it visible to the naked eye. These Flames, as we currently know, have one spectrum, that is the Sky Spectrum.”

A snort, “Why not weather spectrum as well?”

Not a beat of hesitation later, “Because Sky Spectrum sounds cooler. And the rarest Flame are Sky Flames. Now hush hush, *Xiao Qingqiu, I’ll explain the rest.”

Shen Jiu raised a brow at the nickname. 

“In the Sky Spectrum, there are seven Flames. The rarest is Sky, that is orange. Then there is Mist that is purple, that you have and Cloud that is also purple, but a different purple that is your secondary Flame. Storm is red, Rain is blue, Sun is yellow and Lightning is green. Do you have questions?” Xiu Ya laid it’s head on top of Shen Jiu’s, seeming to enjoy it.

“What do they do?” He asks, ignoring how Xiu Ya kept rubbing itself on him. “If mine had sent everyone feral then...”

A harrumph, Xiu Ya tightened slightly around him before loosening again and saying, “All those Flames have properties. The Sky has Harmony, Mist has Construction, Cloud has Propagation, Storm has Disintegration, Rain has Tranquility, Sun has Activation and Lightning has Hardening.”

“Construction?” Shen Jiu asks, thinking to himself that he will not become a construction worker. No way. As if hearing that thought of his, Xiu Ya faced him and flicked his tongue out long enough that it touched Shen Qingqiu’s nose. 

“You can create illusions and make them real.” That did not make sense, but, essentially, he was able to make things out of nowhere? “Go to the mirror.”

Shen Jiu sighed and decided to follow instructions this time. Xiu Ya had never harmed him before. 

The body was still unfamiliar, mostly. He was used to this height and weight and everything, but he wasn’t used to seeing it in the mirror. Purple hair that he refused to cut, much to his parent’s chargrin, and was tied into a low side ponytail ending at his hips and oddly enough, green eyes. 

Neither of his parents had green eyes, nor did his grandparents or great grandparents, he heard from his parents. 

It was the most familiar part of himself, really. Eyes, the color of his eyes were the only thing similar to his past life self while the shape of it was unfamiliar. 

They say that eyes were the window to the soul, he wondered whether this was true. 

“Now focus on your reflection, imagine it being replaced by... whatever. Anything. You can even become a snake like me if you want.” Xiu Ya’s still odd voice echoes in his mind and the snake itself slithered off of him and onto the floor. 

The mirror they had was a standard square one, in the bathroom. He took a deep breathe and focused, thinking of his appearance in the last life. 

He blinked and Qing Jing Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu was standing there. 

“Woah, you’re quite the quick learner.” Xiu Ya seemed surprised flicking its tongue at Shen Jiu’s cheek. “Even smells the same.”

“...smells the same?!” Shen Jiu whisper-shouted at the snake, the image clashing with the lofty, elegant immortal impression he gave off. But, how did Xiu Ya know what he smells like?! The snake flicked its tongue at his cheek again and tilted its head innocently, “Yeah. You smell like bamboo and ink.”

That...

Did Xiu Ya have to be so frank about it? 

He let go of the image and focus and Shen Jiu was back to being Vermont. Xiu Ya made a satisfied noise and went back to coiling itself around Shen’s neck on his shoulders. 

He walked back into his room, wanting to just sleep and pretend nothing happened when he saw the state his bedroom was in. Right, the books were all destroyed, how the hell is he supposed to explain this to the librarian?! 

Then, he went to the slightly bigger room next to his, flopped onto the his parent’s bullet ridden bed and slept. 

Truthfully, it is something he didn’t realize until somebody points it out. 

It starts with small things, creating illusions of him listening to his teacher while he was, in reality, asleep. Thinking of a book he remembered but didn’t exist in this world had made it appear in front of him, all the wrinkles and everything. 

His parents had started on being hitmen which. Made him worry. About their mental states. 

Killing people as a job seemed...

Shen Jiu, honestly, would do it if he was desperate. It was, he just really didn’t value the human life as much as he should. In the past world, didn’t people kill others in a whim, did Shen Jiu not kill innocent people because Wu Yanzi told him to? His own life, even—

—it was worth less. 

But then, why was he here? Why not Luo Binghe if he was the oh-so-great Demon Sovereign? Why not Liu Qingge, the role model of a righteous cultivator? Why not Qi-ge?

Why not Qi-ge?

If Shen Jiu was here to suffer even more then—

Nothing. Xiu Ya was here, it cared for him. His parents too, would rather kill others then let him suffer so then—why? 

He pulled an illusion over himself and looked at the face he had in the last life. 

‘What am I to do with you?’

Smaller things turned bigger. Shen Qingqiu’s second most notable use of Flames was when he sensed a high energy level person. When that high energy level person looked straight at him, Shen Jiu pulled his Mist Flames over himself and Xiu Ya and fled the scene. 

Xiu Ya hissed at him, its voice directly telling him in his mind, “Be careful! If you use too much at a time then it will shorten your lifespan!”

“You could have told me that earlier!” He snapped at the sword-turned-snake in his head, responding without uttering a word. The second thing he had learnt, creating sound illusions. Xiu Ya had yet to tell him how to do anything else with his Flames. “You are too cautious for your own good.”

Shen Jiu acquisced to that. If he had known, then he would never have used them as casually as he did. 

Of course it was now that he got used to it that Xiu Ya told him. 

The next thing Shen Jiu knew, there were chains shooting at him and dragging him into some dark, dreary place. Xiu Ya tensed, alert and ready to attack whatever. He forced himself to stay calm...

—chains held him up, on the stumps of his shoulders and neck. The shackles bruised his skin, rust feeling horrible as it formed. Dark, dark, the hiss of rushing water stopped and that was when the dread truly began. Red eyes, a damned smile and metal shards he recognized, “Even in death, you manage to take a sect leader down with you.”—

“Even in death, you manage to take a sect leader down with you.” Was that not the damndest thing? His entire life, Yue Qi has never ever come for him. So why at that time? 

Why does he make everything so damn complicated?!

There was a big...humanoid thing in front of him. Wearing bandages all over its head and a top hat, as well as a ragged cloak. It felt foreboding. 

Garbled voices, “Child, what do you know of the power you wield?”

Xiu Ya curled protectively around him and Shen Jiu—Shen Qingqiu looks directly at the thing and asks, “What, who even are you?”

The garbled voice echoed through the place, “We are the Vindice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took an idea of duskendash’s and put it in. Our darling Jiu now has a special type of Mist Flame! I call it Fog Flames, its basically Mist + Cloud
> 
> And the color flame thing, I know Mist is supposed to be indigo but to me its just a lighter purple than cloud. So just pretend you don’t know? :P
> 
> Xiu Ya is old as f*ck. It comes from one of the first generations and was created by the same Wan Jian Peak Lord as Xuan Su, therefore making them effectively brothers. Can you guess where I’m going from there?
> 
> I’m going on a week long trip this Wednesday courtesy of school and an not allowed anywhere near electronics. The next update will take slightly longer, sorry!


	5. Chapter 5

OBCAaC chapter 5

Xiu Ya, oddly solemn, tells him in his mind, “I forgot about these people. The boogeymen of the mafia, the Vindice. Anyone who breaks their laws will end up in their Vendicare Prison forever.” 

“And you tell me this now?!” He shouts at the sword-turned-snake internally, keeping the mask of cold indifference he did as Peak Lord. “What are the laws? Xiu Ya!”

The cloaked human(?) moved a bit, rustling chains heard. It(?) spoke again, “Child, we shall ask you again, wgat do you know of your abilities?”

“I...,” Shen Jiu hesitated, putting on an act of the facade of cold indifference breaking and being replaced by fear. The thing didn’t react and its face was covered in bandages so he couldn’t read it very well, damnit. “I can make people see things and make things appear.”

The thing stared, then demanded, “Show us your Flames.”

Shen Qingqiu ran the scenarios in his head, then decided that doing as told was the best bet. He was in an unknown location that was filled with people whose abilities were unknown to him, especially because Xiu Ya was slowly, well, slowing down. He reached out a hand and summoned the Mist Flames as Xiu Ya called them, the purple-indigo flames burning brightly. The cloaked thing froze and Shen Jiu started running more scenarios in his head, wondering if he would be able to get home in one piece and alive. The probabilities were low. 

A door that he didn't realize existed opened with an ominous creak, a casual sweep of black flames breaking the illusion Shen hadn't realized he put on himself. Xiu Ya, with its remaining consciousness, tensed and coiled very tightly around his arm. The slight twinge of pain would have alerted him greatly if he weren't busy staring incredulously at the mini-Vindice thing.

There was a cracked clear pacifier that seemed to be made of glass on hanging from its neck and Shen Jiu had the brief thought that that thing was important.

"Child," the mini-thing talked and suddenly Shen Jiu realized why the big-thing had an echo to its voice. Big-thing was either possessed or controlled by mini-thing, "what is your name?"

"Vermont," he answers, trying to theorize and make a conclusion he can use for the time being. Were these big-things vessels controlled by the ghost mini-thing? Were big-things a cult and mini-thing a demon god? Were they trying to convert him?! The mini-thing contemplated and finally said, "Don't be shy. And stop that act. What's your real name?"

Shen Jiu's face fell into a blank, impassive stare. That mini-thing saw through his acting skills were nothing, he had not practiced them this life, but that question he asked... that was a somewhat difficult one. This life, he was Vermont. Last life, he was Shen Jiu, courtesy name Qingqiu. They were all his names. Still though, if the mini-thing wanted to know so bad then he could only tell the truth, couldn't he? Shen Jiu or Shen Qingqiu?

"My name is Vermont, but I used to be known as Shen Qingqiu." A compromise. "What is your name? I can't keep calling you mini-thing in my head."

"Bermuda Von Veckenschtein. Say, you haven't died recently have you?" Bermuda introduces himself then...wait, what? How did he know? the question was so abrupt that Shen Qingqiu had to gather all the composure he had cultivated in two lives to not look shocked. He blinked, then blinked again. Shen Jiu narrowed his eyes and flicked his fan open to hide the lower half of his face. Xiu Ya finally stopped moving and he wanted to scream to be let out of here and into somewhere warm. Xiu Ya, Xiu Ya was the only one he knew would never ever betray him. Not when he was the master of their relationship and not when Xiu Ya in still bonded to him like a spiritual sword is bonded to a cultivator.

Xiu Ya would die if Shen Qingqiu were to die, but Shen Qingqiu would not die if Xiu Ya did. This is the nature of their spiritual bond, as a spiritual sword and their bonded cultivator. As wielder and weapon.

"...more than thirteen years ago, to be exact." He spouted out hesitantly, but the other seemed contemplative once more. Bermuda tilted his head to the right, sharp eyes following his every movement, trying to guess what he was thinking about an how to get out of this. Nothing, curiosity perhaps, but nothing. Shen Jiu tried his best not to seem tense, but it must have shown because Bermuda hummed and deliberately relaxed himself, an effort to get him to calm down, and seemed to smile. "Then, I shall explain all this to you, Vermont." 

There, an opening. "Send my snake to my quarters first." He stopped streaming spiritual energy into Xiu Ya to keep the snake's internal systems heated and going but hesitated slightly when he was about to dump the snake into the small portal.

Bermuda floated up, giving Shen Jiu more evidence that he was a ghost, and gestured for him to follow. Shen Qingqiu hesitated and swept the surroundings with his spiritual energy, confirming that there was no ill will towards him before doing as told and following the infant. Outside the small holding room he was in, it was even colder and the air was quite humid, the hallway dark with only flickering candles lit. Following Bermuda only gave him more proof that Xiu Ya's earlier words were true and this place was what he had called Vendicare Prison. The prisoners looked like they had lost all hope and cowered at the sight of Bermuda, even if they were curious about Shen Qingqiu. 

It was just that, the twists and turns were starting to all blur together, all of them looking almost the same. It is at that point that Shen Jiu praises his photographic memory.

"This is the Vendicare Prison, home to those who break our laws and the Vindice, we keep the mafia in order." Shen Jiu nodded, not quite knowing how to take this casual tour of what was essentially a prison for criminals who do crimes bad enough to warrant being imprisoned even in other criminal's eyes. It was an absurd thing. 

The two of them suddenly stopped and Shen Qingqiu took the time to mentally review the turns they made if he needed to run away. The only way from thereon was going back or through the door standing ominously at the end of the corridor. "That is where we release our frustrations. By beating up those whose crimes had anything to do with children or non-consensual or both of such things. Yes, separating them from the rest is necessary else we would have to clean out the brutally mangled corpses."

Oh. Ohh.

(He, too, belonged in that lot then?)

...there is an urge to beat them up too, frustration. As horrible a person was, he had never once touched a woman with any malintent or in any sexual way at all. The beast was, he admitted, something he made.

Abuse. Child abuse. Why, why was that the hand he was dealt and why couldn't he do the same thing they did to them and countless others? Unfair, unfair, unfair, why did that beast still come out on top and still have the same talent and why was he given everything Shen Jiu would have died and killed and commit countless atrocities for? The beast had a loving mother, Shen Jiu was abandoned in a ditch to be discovered and saved by Yue Qi as a newborn. Astonishing talent, Wu Yanzi laughed and laughed and watched in amusement as he destroyed himself, unbothered by how he was pushing his own disciple to destruction. Opportunities, Qiu Jianluo sneered, "You want to become a cultivator? You?"

Why was the world so unfair? A lifetime gone with nary a drop of kindness--Qi-ge, one part of him gasped out, still clutching onto a miserly hope that would only wilt, shut up, the rest of him shouted, he betrayed us! He left us to rot and die and never looked back--and yet, and yet!

Black wisps curled around his fingertips and Bermuda laughed, an odd, odd sound.

"What was that?" He asks later, calmed down and sitting in what seems to be the main office. One really big Vindice guy holding Bermuda in his hands and the scene was almost comical. The mummified baby snorted, seemingly amused and told him, "Night Flames."

What even was that?! He grumbled internally, instead flicking his fan open and habitually hiding the lower half of his face. The two mummies he was conversing with seemed nonplussed, but there was a pondering to their stances. What they were thinking about, Shen Qingqiu almost didn't want to know. Wasn't there some sort of saying out there, "Ignorance is bliss"?

"Not even I can tell you everything about Night Flames, for as of now, there have only been two recorded users. However, I can tell you what I know and have learnt over the years." Shen Jiu is suddenly struck with what Bermuda was trying to do and he forced himself not to show any outward reactions, instead listening. "As for the purple-indigo Flames that you have, they are a variant on Mist Flames if the user has a Cloud secondary just as strong called Fog Flames. I, too, had those Flames once and have all the research that the very first Fog Flame user had conducted."

"Are you asking me to be your student?" Blunt, to the point and no nonsense. Bermuda paused and replied, "Yes."

He didn't know how to answer that, so he asked again, "Why? What are your intentions? It could be anyone else, why me?"

"To be frank, you're perfect for it. There have only been five noted users of Fog Flames and the two Night Flame users are in this room, though I did found them." There is a bitterness in the last part, one that implies it has a story behind it. Bermuda then added as an afterthought, "Besides, I would be better than that snake of yours."

He knew about Xiu Ya? Shen Jiu felt threatened. He couldn't help but think of the time Wu Yanzi had taken him on as a disciple, but he asked again, "What are your intentions?"

"To take advantage of your fate." Shen Jiu was in no mood to be playing around, what did Bermuda mean by that? Seeing the still unmoving child, the mummified baby started explaining, "You have very pure and strong Mist Flames at such a young age, if he," that 'he' was so full of hate that Shen was almost startled, "does not choose you, then he has truly gone blind." Of which explained nothing to him. 

A pause, Bermuda tilts his head to the right and finally explains. "The world is held up by the Tri-ni-Sette, three sets of seven things. The Vongola Rings are the most famous set, representing the past. The Mare Rings are the most obscure, representing the future and the Mare Sky Ring holder will...get some very unique powers. The last set of seven are the Arcobaleno, the seven strongest babies in the world. Except, they are not babies, but adults cursed into having baby bodies and carrying a pacifier that will suck their Flames dry for the world. Also, there's some secondary set, but that is a very obscure thing that we will not interfere with unless certain circumstances happen."

"These people are almost always the people who have the strongest and purest Flames of their kind. Chosen by Checkerface, who also goes by The Man in the Iron Hat. You will inevitably be chosen because I suspect you are one of the strongest and purest Flames in this generation. Essentially, we are taking advantage of what will happen to you anyways." It sounded like a horribly made set-up, but here Shen Jiu was, talking to a mummified baby. Well, he didn't get any say in this either, considering just how many plants and even animals were basically aphrodisiacs in his first world.

(...now that he thought about it, wasn't the beast's blood also aphrodisiac?)

But to this topic, "You are taking advantage of my fate." Shen Qingqiu blankly said. Then demanded, "how?"

"The Vindice are the law of the mafia. But we are first and foremost a group that is seeking revenge against Checkerface, the man who cursed us and brought us to our doom." There is a grim determination there. The biggest-Vindice also staring at him. 

Well then, something to see what kind of person this baby who was trying to become his mentor was, "If I reject?"

Bermuda sniffed, as if disdainful, "I'm not going to leave a threat to the world uneducated on his abilities, that would lead to destruction for the world and a lifetime of Vendicare for you." He was righteous enough not to threaten a child, that was...

It was perhaps sad that that was the only standard that Shen Jiu had before agreeing, "Alright." Maybe he was also desperate. It didn't matter anyways. Bermuda only shot him a look that was nowhere near pitying and Shen Qingqiu felt like he had made the right decision for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why yes, yes I did just give Shen Jiu the biggest boss of KHR as a mentor. 
> 
> I wanted to cry, writing some parts. 
> 
> I wrote this during my school trip and felt horribly lazy so retyping it was what took so long? Srsly, I got bored typing it down while copying it from my notebook.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only the future awaits you, my dear.

In the end, Shen Jiu had been sent home shortly after determining the frequencies and schedules of their supposed meetings, tutoring sessions, whatever. He still did have to go to school, after all, not having gotten his parent's permission to skip into the next years. At this point though, the teachers might as well pull some strings to do so themselves, having gotten both very annoyed and impressed when it was revealed that he knew way more than he should at that age.

His classmates loved leaving all the work to him in any group project, Shen Jiu insists on being given a big sum of hush money and it succeeds almost every time. Other than that, he has to entertain the brats in making whatever project they were saddled with. This time, the brat just did not budge on Shen going to his house and now he has to spend hours of his time where he could be reading something or theorizing on a brat and a project that wouldn't even matter in the long run. Annoying, definitely annoying and frustrating to boot.

Xiu Ya launched itself onto him the moment it had felt his presence. Now, it absolutely refused to let go and Shen Qingqiu merely tsk-ed before continuing to furiously write things down, wanting to nothing more than to learn everything he could at the moment. 

Marzio, his classmate, had dark green hair and hazel eyes and was the typical smart*ss. He and Shen Jiu had been competing in class for first place ever since the faculty got the great idea to out these two in the same classroom and that both would always be in the same group no matter what because whatever they thought. The brat was disrespectful and entirely happy to contradict Shen Jiu in everything until one of them proved to be right.

This time, it was to make the science project that consisted of a model for viruses and the paper report about World War II they had learned about in History class. Shen Jiu could only hope that they finished it early an that they did not have to meet up more then necessary. 

Just then, knocking came from the door. 

Ughh. Xiu Ya rolled its eyes and its voice echoed in Shen Qingqiu's head. 'Make some friends, Xiao Qingqiu. You won't always get the same chance.'

The boy directly walked in, not saying anything else and settling down like it was all normal despite the fact that Shen Jiu had only moved three months ago. It was a testament to how many times they did this that Marzio had brought what he knew Shen Jiu didn't usually have at home and Shen Qingqiu himself filled a mug with water and set it in front of the boy without any questions. 

Marzio had dark green hair and hazel eyes, face set in a frown. He was also quite significantly taller than Shen Jiu, like most people, considering that he had inherited his mother's petite stature. The insolent brat put the bag filled with art supplies and his history textbook, taking out a small stack of paper. He stated, out of courtesy, "I will be doing the second part."

"No." Shen Jiu decided. Xiu Ya started trying to freak the other out, going up his pant sleeve and down again when Marzio barely reacted. "The teachers would not like a robot spouting facts about the country's heroes mental states and presenting the empathic with barely any interest. I will be doing it." There was a few seconds before the brat slowly nodded, accepting the facts and proceeding with the first part. 

It made Shen Qingqiu want to smirk in satisfaction, but he held it back.

Xiu Ya continued to try and provoke a reaction out of the other and it was only when they were painting the cardboard for their science project that the brat starts a conversation, either trying something or wanting friends like brats their age usually did. "You know, when I grow up, I want to have an alligator."

"An alligator?" Shen Jiu raises an eyebrow and decides to entertain Marzio. "Not a crocodile?"

A scoff, "I'm not as stupid as our classmates! Don't try tricking me, I know very well the differences and alligators are... are cooler!" 

...

"Wha-hey, no! Stop laughing at me!"

Xiu Ya flicks a tongue out and seems to also be laughing at Marzio, not that the brat knows that Xiu Ya is doing that in Shen Jiu's mind. The brat pouts and starts murmuring to himself, an embarrassed flush on his face. Shen Jiu decides imperiously to spare the child some humiliation and stops, instead telling him. "That's fine. At least you actually have a goal, unlike...our other teammate I may or may not have forgotten the name of."

A shocked laugh, Marzio smiles widely, looking more like the child he is instead of the adult he has been portraying himself around everyone for a long time.

"...his name was *Irrilevante, by the way."

"His parents must hate him a lot, huh."

They soon finished up and left it to dry in Shen Jiu's home. The following day of school, Shen Qingqiu didn't feel bored when he and Marzio kept finding ways to discreetly talk. It was nice to have an intelligent person around to talk to--Xiu Ya hissed as if offended by that--that was what Shen Jiu told himself.

Going home that day was quite the experience. Walking normally as ever, Xiu Ya following and suddenly there were three high-energy-level people that were apparently Dying Will Flame users in front of them and they started monologuing as if they were those comic book villains Xiu Ya loved picking faults of. "We are the Estraneo Famiglia! Child," that address was starting to get both old and annoying, "we invite you to come join us and share the glory of making breakthroughs in the field of science with Dying Will Flames."

Shen Jiu bet that when he told them no, they would smirk and say, "You don't have a choice in this, unfortunately."

So he did just that, not the least bit surprised that the one in the middle stepped forward and smirked before telling him, "You don't have a choice in this, unfortunately."

How cliché.

Two of them soon laid on the ground, lifeless and they're blood never once staining Shen Qingqiu. Xiu Ya hissed and tightened around his arm, mentally warning, "To your left, the Rain."

Oh?

Then Shen Jiu prepared his fan and slashed a wind blade towards the sneaky bastard and fell down.

Down. 

He. Fell down. Right onto his ass into a f*cking cold stone floor with an almost sheepish Vindice guard looking at him while clutching some chains. Xiu Ya scrambled into Shen Jiu's clothes, trying to share some warmth. He scowls, reminding himself to make faces at the mirror and practice them later. Glaring at the nervous looking Vindice guard who only got more visibly skittish every passing second, he swore--a very rare thing that should be marked on the calendar because Shen Qingqiu wasn't not always elegant and aloof--at the mummy, "What the hell?" Shen Jiu pulls the hissing and squirming Xiu Ya out and conjures a real illusion of a very long and warm sweater, strapping on some heat packs as an afterthought. The Vindice guard who seemed to be the same one who had first brought him here fidgeted and quietly started talking, "...I...apologize...?" To which Shen Jiu harshly replied with, "Don't apologize if you don't mean it." The nervous fidgeting reminded him of Shang Qinghua--a...complicated thing for him to think much less talk about--and the apologizing reminded him of Yue Qingyuan. Shen Jiu hated that thing called guilt. At least it wasn't too extreme. "You were running late." Bermuda says as he comes into sight, definitely having a flair for dramatics because he had apparently been in the impossibly cast shadows the whole time. Xiu Ya laughed mockingly at the baby in Shen Jiu's head and he agreed with the sword-turned-snake. It was so stupid. The mummified baby stared and continued to stare until Shen Qingqiu realized that he was waiting for an explanation, at whih point he scowled again and told Bermuda, "For one, school held me up because all the teachers are damn lazy, two, some guys called themselves Estraneo and decided that kidnapping children is an acceptable hobby, three, I don't exactly have a watch on me and I don't even know how to get here in the first place!"

He had...dealt with them, the mafioso. Shen Jiu felt nothing about the bastards who tried to brainwash him into being some kind of slave. Night Flames were, unlike what one would have thought, were quite hard on the user's mental state, so sue him for wanting to slow down the process of going insane and not like these weird-ass Vindice guys. Watches were...expensive and he had become far too used to looking at the sun and moon to determine what time it was. Besides that, he had an excellent internal clock, just one that hasn't been defaulted to the time system this world uses.

Bermuda hummed then turned to the biggest Vindice guy Shen Jiu had seen, addressing him. "Jaeger."

Biggest-thing who was apparently named Jaeger nodded, then disappeared into a portal. The mini-thing then turned to the nervous-thing--who was standing like an idiot. An awkward idiot--and ordered him with a far gentler tone, meaning that he was either favored or Bermuda knew them personally and this was the best way to deal with nervous-Vindice. The latter was far more likely, considering that that Jaeger guy had been the only one allowed to carry Bermuda around. "Qionglin, go search up whatever famiglia Vermont had mentioned and arrest those I charge with Wuxian. Give them the longest prison life known for attacking a civilian and breaking the omerta even if they are a Flame Active and conscious user. Go."

Shen Qingqiu watches as the awkward air turns into a bone-chilling anger and revised his opinion on this Qionglin. Individuals like these, with fuzzy exteriors and steel cores are people who remind him of Shang Qinghua. Nearly never a good thing, but...

No matter how weak or pathetic that shidi of Shen Jiu's was, he had been a driving force that sent Cang Qiong--and, he bitterly added, the Northern Mobei Clan--to great heights. Most people would think it was because of Yue Qingyuan, Shen Qingqiu, iu Qingge and Mu Qingfang's prodigy, but only those who had observed would notice how much better everything was run and how prosperous Cang Qiong became after the Qing generation had ascended.

It was truly unfortunate that Shang Qinghua's loyalty was never to Cang Qiong, but to the demon who had killed him.

(During a time when Shen Jiu didn't want to die, in Huan Hua's Water Prison, Shang Qinghua had taken over the duty of his food delivery. Somehow.

"Shen-shixiong," he asks, a tired smile on his face as he force fed a spiteful Shen Jiu. "Shen-shixiong understands, right? Shen-shixiong always has this conflicted whenever he looks at Zhangmen-shixiong." Traitor, Shen Jiu wanted to call him and say, don't call us your shixiong, traitor!

"Zhangmen-shixiong has betrayed Shen-shixiong once, right? A really big betrayal, if I read it right." Something in Shang Qinghua's expression seems wrong. It was as if he knew everything about Shen Qingqiu and it was horribly absurd that he had felt a small twinge of fear towards this mousy traitor of a shidi. "I didn't have a choice at that time. Even now, I... Shen-shixiong understands, right?"

What did he know? What would someone like Shang Qinghua know? Why is he asking this?

The both of them stare at each other and Shang Qinghua smiles another tired but knowing smile and what the f*ck did he know?

The days were always painfully clear to Shen Jiu, an inconvenience though dully appreciated sometimes, Shang Qinghua spoke the world of Mobei-Jun. It was as if Mobei-Jun had hung the stars and moon to Shang Qinghua with how much he praised the demon to high heavens...the more appropriate term would be lower hells. It was to the point that even a blind man could see that he was in love. Then, he tells Shen Jiu one day, after his tongue had been cut off. "I'm going to tell him, just to get all this over with."

Don't, the words come out an incoherent grumble. Don't, he'll kill you, he won't accept, the world won't accept(, don't leave me).

But then Shang Qinghua beams like 'that' and Shen Qingqiu knows that he is a lost cause (like him).

That was the last time he had ever seen that shidi of his. 

The next day, the beast gouges out one of his eyes and the lackey demon given the task of delivering and force feeding him blandly tells him how Shang Qinghua had died. Demons...really were horrible. The beast who was half demon and half human even more horrible.

And what does that make Shen Jiu, who had raised the beast worse than both demon and human? What was he? Was he even human anymore?)

Xiu Ya hisses and flicks its tongue at his cheek, Shen Jiu gets up. Bermuda, exuding a pleased air, tells him, "Think of a place, like your room, and will for a portal to open." Room? No, he thinks of his past world, Cang Qiong sect and where--where Qi-ge's remains were. The portal opens and he, Xiu Ya and Bermuda peer into what kinda has to be the Endless Abyss. Silence follows.

"...I asked you to think of a place like your room. Not hell."

"In my defense, I didn't think it would actually work."

Shen Jiu wills the portal to close and marvels at how pretty it looks, he himself looking utterly unaffected as a demon beast tried to jump at him as it was closing and the head fell onto the floor, gushing blood. Xiu Ya shakes its head as if exasperated an flicks its tongue at his cheek before bumping Shen Jiu's nose with its own, saying "Boop!" in his mind.

...what? Shen Jiu didn't get it.

Bermuda shakes his head, "So you really did come from another world..." he mutters, head tilting to the left. Shen Jiu nods and waits for Bermuda to say something else but the mummified baby just continued to stare at him.

Shen Jiu furrows his brows and says, "I'm not telling you."

Silence, the staring continues.

Irritation welled up inside Shen Qingqiu and he repeated, loudly, "I am not telling you!"

But then Bermuda suddenly jerked and tensed for a small moment before calming down. He tilted his head to the right and asked as if he was innocent, "Could you repeat that? I fell asleep."

In his mind, Xiu Ya burst into hysterical laughter and Shen Jiu couldn't keep his eye from twitching. Zombies could fall asleep. Baby zombies could fall asleep. Alright. This was normal. Zombies could fall asleep and his supposed mentor just fell asleep on him. 

Everything was completely normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Irrilevante is what I got when google translating 'Inconsequential'
> 
> What's this? Another canon character? Can you guess? Remember, he's still a child right now! It would make sense for him to be softer and cuter.
> 
> Notice how Shen Jiu still calls Shang Qinghua shidi despite saying he's a traitor.
> 
> One of the main reasons I wanted to give Shen Jiu Night Flames is the line, "I asked you think of a place like your room, not hell." 
> 
> I finally put everything I wrote in my notebook in here! Yay! Your comments invigorate me lol, love you all!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fear the monsters, not the dark.

It was a bad day.

Sunlight was filtering through the shades covering Shen Jiu's window, the ceiling as barren as ever save for the single light bulb in the middle of it and the bed was comfortable, covers warm. A snake--Xiu Ya, he thought, but Xiu Ya was shattered and a sword, how could it be a snake?--curled around his midsection and slowly flicked a forked tongue at his cheek. 

Wrong. Everything was wrong.

Where were the chains that hung him just a little bit off the ground? Where was the ache and never-ending agony of being limbless, tongue-less and short of one eyeball? Where was the numb static hiss of acid water trapping him? Why could he feel his limbs, see properly? Everything was wrong.

Shen Jiu was laying down, and so he looked down and felt the dull realization of, oh, he had limbs again. Moving his tongue, closing both his eyes and opening each of them slowly to see perfectly also gave him the same muffled realization. The faint feeling of shock was odd and he didn't know what exactly to expect. Why was he complete, in a comfortable place? What game was the beast trying to play with him this time? And...in a child's body nonetheless.

The snake somehow seemed sad and rubbed itself on his cheek, words echoing within his mind. He paid no attention to it, not understanding what they were.

Tired. Helpless. Frustrated. Resentment only grew and grew. 

Shen Jiu breathed in fresh air and exhaled, no pain except phantom and imaginary. He inhaled again, the smell of clean, crisp air unlike the stale, bloody one in the Water Prison and exhaled, he had a whole, healthy body ready to go onto the Golden Core stages at any time. Another big intake of air, mindless and he balled the sheets beneath his palms and fingers and a loud sigh, the morning was growing late and his parents were going to come back soon. They had promised, to be here by seven and they would have a whole uninterrupted--if plans go as they should--week to themselves. A breathing exercise came to him on habit and he continued it, Bermuda was going to teach him how to make a hive mind or at least link minds with some people later, he had been rather proud to have been able to find such a way for Night Flames to be used. 

Looking out the window gave him the approximate time of six. Alright, that should be enough time to make his parents a simple breakfast, right?

Xiu Ya coiled itself on his shoulders and rested its head on top of his and Shen Qingqiu let him, craving the touch and company like the child he was.

He had made a theory that was plausible enough to be true, he thought while Xiu Ya nudged him towards the salt and he dumped two hefty spoonfuls in and mixed the eggs, dumping it into the burning pan and yawning. Dying Will Flames, the purer they are, the stronger the will or resolve. Night Flames on the other hand, have some nuances to it that Bermuda has not been able to learn. Such as, it was literally resentful energy but concentrated enough to be able to see with the naked eye of a normal human and was then made only stronger by having resentment towards someone or something. 

Shen Jiu had both of these in spades. Will, he had enough will to last a lifetime of nothing but suffering and could do so again if only for the parents who...actually loved him in this world--it was still as unbelievable as ever, but it was nice--and...

Night Flames were able to warp things around and make portals. They were also able to increase one's power base and could theoretically make one be able to go even at the speed of light. How Shen Jiu saw it, it could warp space but not time to achieve the wishes of the user. 

So then, that lead to this.

Back then, when he swallowed Xuan Su's shards--because if he couldn't have Qi-ge's remains to bury then his sword should be kept safe enough within Shen Jiu's own body, right?--he knew he was going to die. He acknowledged the fact that he was going to die, but the thing he wanted most and wished for was "to meet Qi-ge again". Shen Qingqiu had wanted to die, but also wanted to see Yue Qi, the boy who raised Shen Jiu and in turn gave all his loyalty to, but then during those final moments, a surge of despair and hate was all he could feel because how dare that beast?

(That beast, Luo Binghe could torture Shen Jiu however much he wants because it was karma, but why did he have to kill Yue Qingyuan and raze Cang Qiong to the ground too?)

Hate, despair, this could only feed the resentment coursing through his veins and devouring his every thought. He wanted to see Qi-ge again. Night Flames could warp things, meaning transportation.

When put like that, was it not obvious? Night Flames warped space in order to fulfil the user's wishes and so it warped space to another world and shoved his soul into a newborn. But then, his wish... that could only mean that Yue Qi was here too, probably also reincarnated, didn't it?

Hope was a sickening thing that he had long learned to squash down and pretend didn't exist but even he couldn't deny it this time. Xiu Ya nuzzled him and seemed to know that he was distracted because it hissed and nuzzled his cheek. Shen Jiu...smiled.

A small one, one that looked entirely unfamiliar on his face and seemed stiff but Xiu Ya froze and Shen Qingqiu couldn't help but snicker meanly, taking the pan off the stove and putting the black mush that was fried eggs onto a plate and starting on toast. His parents would be back anytime now and he wanted to finally tell them about the fact that he was in fact a reincarnated person and wanted to teach them a body and spirit strengthening technique because even though they were already too old, it would still help.

...oh, right. Xiu Ya. How did it fit into all this, did it fit into this at all or was it simply a coincidence?

Besides all that, how was he going to tell his parents, who are a part of the lower-rung mafia, that he has been in contact with the Vindice, the police of the mafia and hasn't been arrested yet?

His parents were going to positively kill him. 

Maybe...he should hold off on telling them? Until he was sure that they wouldn't kill him for taking the body of their son while he was a newborn child? That...

It didn't sound right, even if he had no ground to stand on when it came to doing the "right" thing. "Xiu Ya?" He whispered in his mind, never once looking the slightest bit ruffled as he continued to sit in the perfect posture and stare at the black goop that was scrambled eggs. The snake settled on his shoulders and coiled loosely around his neck, it was Xiu Ya's favorite position for some reason. He would have figured that Xiu Ya would like to coil around his waist but that would be inconvenient.

"Xiao Qingqiu?" The unspoken question sounded aloof enough, if one ignored the pet name and undercurrent of concern. 

"Why are you here? You know my theory, how do you fit into this?"

It was silent and Shen Jiu couldn't help but have the thought that maybe he had done something wrong, maybe he wasn't supposed to know about this but he said nothing. Xiu Ya couldn't leave him, it was spiritually unable to. (None of the fear in his chest abated at the thought, but worsened. Xiu Ya probably hated him for not letting it go and Shen Jiu didn't care.)

('Don't abandon me' again, Qi-ge.)

('Don't leave me alone', except he wasn't alone anymore, was he? His parents loved him--did they really? Or was it the son whose body he stole they loved?--, Marzio was a friend--or trying to use him--, Bermuda had been a good teacher so far--he just wants a bait and admitted to using Shen Qingqiu as a pivotal plot point-- so why then was he so...afraid?)

"...Xiao Qingqiu really needs to learn how to keep his thoughts quiet," a whisper, "I won't leave. You're not alone. And as for my role..."

Xiu Ya moved to face him and flicked its tongue at his cheek. "Who do you think directed your Flames? Xiao Qingqiu, you are far more loved than you think. Xuan Su helped too, it gave our bond enough spiritual energy to interfere with your body. As for this world, it was the closest and had more Dying Will Flame users commonplace so I chose it on impulse."

Alright. That was...good, it meant he wouldn't be alone. 

That was fine. Just don't leave, it will all be fine.

Xiu Ya went back to what seemed to be his favorite position, hanging off of Shen Jiu's shoulders and laying its head on top of his. It was nearly time for his parents to be back home and he needed to wash his face and any and all evidence that he had shed tears.

When they did come back though, he smiled and hugged both of them--no, father, mother was obviously getting the first hug!-- then asked them how the eggs tasted.

Adelaide, mother, forced her face to be completely blank and told him with the straightest face he had ever seen her make, that it was not bad and that he needed to turn down the heat and add less salt. His father, Desiderio, struggled to swallow and kept drinking water while forcing himself to eat, not wanting to break his son's heart. Shen Jiu smiled placidly the entire while and Xiu Ya was in hysterics over how much the two coddled Shen Qingqiu. 

Shen Qingqiu told them, "I think I made a friend."

To which immediately his father started interrogating him. Name, address, grades, looks, ambitions and goals in life...it was almost as if father believed that he was going to lose his precious daughter to the clutches of some evil villain and he had to prevent it.Mother laughed at him and made them a proper breakfast, pretending like she didn't see the completely burnt and molten pan in the garbage bin. Xiu Ya, as mentioned somewhere, loved playing pranks on his parents and kept slithering up father's pant sleeve, at which point father would scream like a little girl and yell at Shen Qingqiu to get it off.

"Vermont! This isn't funny, it's going to bite me!"

"Darling, Xiu has never intentionally harmed us."

"Listen to mother, father."

"You two!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra:
> 
> Shouting and murmuring kept the throbbing headache from lessening and instead increased it despite the hands that were very clearly taking care of a burning wound on his chest that seemed to reach quite deep as he tasted metal in his mouth. Ah, Mu Qingfang must be really angry right about now.
> 
> Except, the language was one he did not recognize. 
> 
> Opening his eyes, the swordsman's dark orbs darted around, taking in a lavishly decorated hall mainly in reds and golds. The people were all weird, with hair cut short and form-fitting black and white suits.
> 
> Suddenly, his headache seemed to cause a mini explosion in is head because the next thing he knows is that he had lived two lives.
> 
> That didn't matter.
> 
> What mattered was that Liu Qingge got up and find Shen Qingqiu to alternatively interrogate for wanting to save him, beat up for being so confusing, then thank for trying to save him at the very least.
> 
> He grit his teeth and glared at the Sun user, Loreto, if he remembered correctly, and got up.
> 
> ___
> 
> ;)
> 
> It is only after many a consideration that I have brought our favorite Bai Zhan Peak Lord into the picture. (In other words, I wanted unrequited LiuJiu because I'm a bastard.)
> 
> Besides that, what you think of the theory that Shen Jiu made and was totally not complete bullsh*t I made up after thinking a bit? And I needed that tender moment for SQQ and XY, dispel some of that doubt and insecurity. Make sure he's not a mess before messing him up...oops, did I say that?
> 
> Besides that, this is the first double update I've ever done! Hooray for me?


	8. Chapter 8

It is a quiet affair, Shen Jiu's fourteenth birthday.

Xiu Ya was strangely quiet, probably also not knowing what to say, not that it would help any. The room got darker as time passed and Xiu Ya, sensing Shen Jiu's turbulent emotions that needed space to explode before calming down, got up to switch off the light switch. 

His parents hadn't come back home. Not on the morning they promised or hours late into the night, it...

Shen Jiu thought he was infallible to the crushing feeling of betrayal after so much of it, yet now as he stares unblinkingly at the sky outside and the moon slowly moving up and up... those feelings once again resurfaced and took hold of everything.

Rage, grief and confusion all at once.

He trusted them. Mother and father said they would be back for all his birthdays, they reassured him last time he had seen them they would be there but they weren't and it...hurt. It was childish, maybe, but they promised and have never broken their promises despite always being busy and Shen Jiu had believed that an trusted them to always keep their word. Was he not enough anymore? Did they finally decide to abandon him?

Irrational thoughts plague his mind one after the other and Shen Jiu blinks past the liquid blurring his vision, instead pulling an illusion over himself and leaving to take a long walk.

Xiu Ya followed and he hardly reacted when the snake coiled up his leg, instead covering it with an illusion too. Walking, walking until Shen Qingqiu could hardly feel his legs anymore and he stops, finally paying enough attention to actually register his surroundings and see where he had ended up.

The lights were obnoxious and bright, flashing one color to the other and was supposed to look inviting and fun--to him it seemed more like a masochist's favorite thing--but merely succeeded in making him want to rip them off and brun them with pure spite. The most obnoxious and bright one was--

Shen Jiu watched as three very obvious mafioso walked into the bar, wearing their full suits and everything. Xiu Ya snorted and asked, "Are you going to follow them?"

"Hmm."

(It was just something to amuse him for a while because every mafioso he has encountered were all dumb as hell.)

He slipped into the bar, fully packed with boiling hot bodies, very inappropriately dressed people, mostly in their teens and young adults were dancing to some horrible music and the people Shen Jiu followed were being flirted with by some very obviously drunk partygoers. A body is shoved into him and he froze momentarily, loathing the intrusion of personal space and how they were all enjoying such a frivolous and meaningless thing.

If they wanted to dance, why do it in a crowd? Playing music in front of a crowd is fine, Shen Qingqiu himself had to do it quite a few times in his past life, but what monstrosity was this thing??

How could anyone enjoy this?!

Xiu Ya snickered.

The three mafioso eventually get to a very cliché isolated corner and Shen Jiu had taken to practicing the hovering Bermuda had told him the basics of. It was risky, but working.

Now, one would ask why the f*ck Shen Jiu was staying there despite not liking the place. That was a very, very simple question to answer. See, the mafioso had crests on their suit and he recognized them as the mafioso who had tried to capture him that one time. Xiu Ya, too, was very unnaturally quiet, like the time with those weird *ss mafioso. Other than that? He wanted to get some kind of information and eavesdropping is one of the best ways to do that.

Just, ignore the fact that it was impolite.

With an illusion, he makes himself invisible and listens in, focusing on the truly important parts. Xiu Ya flicks its tongue at his cheek and Shen Jiu pets the snake's head. The mafioso babble on about everything, getting especially unhinged when they get their hands on alcohol. They kept on talking, revealing their main base's location, the Possession Bullets that were apparently their Famiglia's current pride and how even Vongola would clamor to have some of these bullets. The experiments, who cared about some homeless people and street rats who suddenly disappeared?

Humans... really never change. Shen Jiu realizes. He was just... lucky to have his parents as parents. 

Shen Qingqiu was about to go back when one of them he had nicknamed Dumb Guy in mind yells, "Ah, that hit was such a success though!"

The guy he nicknamed John Smith agrees, saying, "Well, it is only right to strike some sense into those upstarts! What Gold Bullet and Silver Knife, more like the Sh*t Couple!" At which point Shen Jiu froze. Hit... his parent's titles... these people...

...it was exactly midnight.

...

The last guy, nicknamed Lecherous Pig, complains, "It's such a shame though! That woman was quite nice..." he laughs a horrible laugh and Shen Qingqiu is slowly taking John Smith's neck in his hands and Xiu Ya launches itself onto Lecherous Pig's, biting down with a hatred. John Smith, in the moments that he registered that there was somebody about to kill him and that his teammate was being injected with venom from a snake, looked at Shen Qingqiu and realized something, because a mocking expression appeared in his eyes.

Shen Jiu hated it. 

Dumb Guy, like his name, dumbly doesn't realize the deaths of his teammates until their bodies thump onto the table and Xiu Ya was wrapped tighly around his neck and biting down.

...how dare they.

Those people whose apparent deaths happened at their hands, they were Shen Jiu's parents. They were his. How dare they take away what was his? (How dare they kill the only people who have never abandoned him until the end?)

Mocking, mocking him, the child who was left behind after killing their parents, how dare they, oh god--his parents. 

His parents were dead.

They were never coming back. 

Xiu Ya hisses and shouts in his mind. "Master! You're going into qi deviation!"

So what? So what?! His parents were dead, dead and never coming back to see him and are never going to fulfill their promise and, and he just--

Alone in this corner with three cooling bodies and a crowd of people happily dancing and singing as if he hadn't just lost his parents--the most important people he had in this life--and how dare they be so happy?! Why was he here, going into qi deviation and having just killed a person and ordered the death of another two, all of which had killed his parents probably just this morning, why were they so happy?

Unfair. 

Unfair, unfair, unfair.

Make it fair.

"Master!" He ignores Xiu Ya and the building slowly creaks and cracks, shrapnel and debris getting caught in a whirlwind and bringing people into it, racking his kill count up horrifyingly fast.

It didn't matter. These people who could only smile and indulge in pleasure didn't matter. His cheeks were wet. Was it raining? He could barely breathe. Xiu Ya kept shouting. He was getting very tired. It was raining quite heavily now, but why was only his face wet? That didn't make sense. 

There were cold chains wrapping around him. Dragged, being dragged...

It didn't really matter at this point, did it?

....his parents were dead.

Shen Jiu closes his eyes.

Murmuring, distant voices. Italian or Mandarin? Or perhaps that one he had been studying, English? He slowly tried to open his eyes, feeling lethargic and exhausted despite having done nothing.

A snake, Xiu Ya flicks a tongue at his eyelid and Shen Jiu obediently lets them stay closed. 

He dozes off within seconds.

It was quiet. Was it supposed to be this quiet? Dark, there was nothing as far as the eye could see, but he could see his hands and body clearly. That didn't make sense. Shen Jiu bit back a whine and curled around himself tighter, wanting nothing more than to lay down, close his eyes and never open them ever again. 

What is your resolve?

What was Shen Jiu's resolve? He didn't know anymore. If you had asked yesterday, he would have said to learn about this world, to be the scholar he had always been proud of being. Maybe, to find Yue Qingyuan too and get an explanation out of him. To get stronger so even if fate decided that he had to be an Arcobaleno, he would be the undisputed strongest and force Checkerface to find another way of supplying the Tri-ni-Sette with Flames. To be able to provide for his parents. For Xiu Ya to stay with him forever.

But his parents were dead now. Killed by some bastards who thought it good to mock a Mist after killing the people they value the most. Estraneo...

...it was a mafia Famiglia wasn't it? He could go and get revenge. Bermuda would approve, because Shen Jiu too had Night Flames. 

Night Flames burned strong with resentment and hatred. It was, at its core, resentful energy and therefore was demonic cultivation. It would lead him to qi deviations, it would eat away at his sanity and peace. But when has Shen Jiu ever been peaceful? When had even a single shred of sanity been in him? Maybe he was, long ago, when it was just him and Qi-ge. Maybe he was, just a small while ago, when his parents came back and spent time with him, despite knowing that they were selfishly putting him in danger. It didn't matter to him. 

What is your resolve?

Revenge should not be a long time goal. It would rot him inside out, Shen Jiu would know this. Then, revenge would be something he wants to do and after? 

Do what he thinks would make his parents proud. 

That should be simple, right? 

The inky darkness drips away and Shen Jiu opens his eyes. 

"Mast--Xiao Qingqiu! Never scare me like that again!" Xiu Ya launches itself onto Shen Qingqiu and he pets the snake. Another weight settles onto his stomach and he looks to see Bermuda with the most troubled face he had ever seen on the mummified baby (which was quite a feat, considering that his face was covered with bandages).

But then, he sighs and says, "We'll talk about this later."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. This was a ride. 
> 
> After this is a timeskip. I think. I haven't actually gotten to writing the next chapter, but I'm going to pretty much condense a lot of time into a single chapter. Hopefully. 
> 
> I just can't wait for the Arcobaleno meeting, ok?! Then the curse and Varia and finally, canon!


	9. Chapter 9

Xiu Ya relaxed on Shen Jiu's shoulders, quite heavy and would be tiring if Shen Jiu had not been used to it. Bermuda gave the snake an unimpressed stare and they had a small staring contest where neither won or lost. The mummified baby handed him a dark cloak, accented with green and white and Shen Jiu merely raised a brow at him.

The baby simply said, "It fits you and you need to have a signature thing."

"...how did you know my favorite color was green and white?"

"None of your business," Bermuda replies, but stares at Xiu Ya and Shen Qingqiu immediately knew how.

In the world, there were countless things that could be inherited. 

One type of those countless things are technique or skills from a teacher to a student or a parent to a child. The title "Viper" and the skills and techniques it comes with is one of them. 

Espers, the mafia called these illusionists who are almost always one of the top ten Mists. Terrifying, the monsters that lurked under your bed and are responsible for some sort of misery even if you don't know that they were the ones responsible for such a thing until they declare it their doing. It is unsurprising that these people were either eradicated as fast as possible or won over by the bigger mafia famiglia and that always came with a risk, because they were a Mist. Of course, the strongest ones always choose to be a freelancer.

As Shen Jiu and Bermuda *discussed before, Shen Qingqiu would inherit the title of Viper. The current Viper just had to be dealt with, meaning that they needed to get him to not pass on his skills to anyone. Which was relatively easy, considering that Shen Jiu had the Vindice on his side.

After that was choosing what he wanted to be. Obviously, he was going to be a freelancer but what kind? Hitman, information broker, illusionist...there were several things that he could go with. Naturally, he chose to be an information broker, considering that it was the closest thing to a scholar and dealt with information, not to mention that he had an iron trap of a memory and would not forget important things easily. 

That was fine, now, he needed to collect information and do something to tell the mafia that he was now here. 

Now here came a problem. 

Shen Qingqiu wanted to destroy the Estraneo Famiglia and that is considered quite the debut, not as an information broker, but as a very talented Mist who was able to grasp the arts of real illusions. This was resolved by going by "Vipers are known to be just that. Who cares? If they want to scout me then go ahead and try," which led to a lecture of, "Skies are very persuasive, not many are able to resist."

In Shen Jiu's opinion, Bermuda was overreacting. A Sky... going by how they are usually defined, Shen Jiu had never met any, but if he went by their job, to pull in and stick together, then wasn't the beast one? 

Of course the beast would have the rarest Flame type. On this, Shen Jiu did not envy him, his Flames were much more useful anyways.

Other than that, he couldn't think of anyone else. Shen Jiu didn't believe that a mere Sky would be able to make him yield when the beast, after a prolonged time of torture he couldn't keep track of, did not. Xiu Ya had agreed with him, stating that perhaps only the Skies of the larger mafia famiglia like Vongola or Giglio Nero would be able to tame Shen's Fog. 

All that was done and decided, now, to actually do it. 

The Underworld exploded with gossip, of how the Estraneo had been destroyed cruelly and mercilessly by someone who had left behind a single word painted on a wall with blood, Viper. Another Esper! The higher ups gasped and went to looking for the person behind it. The faster this person can be shackled to one Famiglia the better, or else they would be facing a fearsome opponent. The old Viper had vanished and no one could find him, it was a rather odd thing.

One night, a quiet envelope slipped into the room of a fairly influential mafia don who did not notice it only until hours later. It contained the exact numbers of their, well, everything! Not to mention, in another paper, there was an assortment of information on the highest rankings of his troops and their strength as well as their weaknesses. 

A smaller note said that if the mafia don did not want this information to be revealed to the entire Underworld, he would accuse the Estraneo of being deserving of their fates because they had been creating something called the Possession Bullet.

Unknown to him, several other mafia dons or donnas had received a similar envelope and after listening to their ally, their alliances began to say the same. Sooner or later, the entire mafia was shunning the Estraneo, though there were some who resisted it, saying that it was normal. They were the mafia, after all.

When the dons and donnas who got the envelope realized that this was probably from the new Viper, they tried to contact the man, one of them succeeding by putting a letter in the envelope and leaving it on the same place he had found it. After which he told the other mafia dons and donnas who had gotten a letter and they managed to do so too. Viper, after being asked what was it that he wanted, said that they would be good connections and he was going to be an information brokers. They would provide him the goings of what they knew was going on down to the smallest rumor and he would give them information on their enemies free of charge.

In one move, ten fairly influential people were caught in Shen Jiu's strings. This move would be to facilitate a backup plan, if anything with his main plan goes awry.

Like many things, his plan starts small. 

Going to the gangs that were in where Shen Jiu as Vermont lived, he analyzed everything and found one of them suited to his tastes before going to a bar--which mafioso or gangs love for some reason??--where he knew that one of the gang he had chosen's most trusted advisor was visiting. The man himself was quite strict and only allowed himself a number of drinks and a number of time. 

Shen Jiu settled next to him, getting ready to put on an act.

By the end, all he had to do was act friendly and somewhat suspicious and imply that he knew critical information about the rival gangs when the man finally seemed interested and realized that he could be a new information broker who found something out.

From then on, it was a little easier to find clients in the smaller areas and his influence soon spread. 

As for Shen Jiu himself, he had taken to completely acing school and skipping grades as if he would die if he did not do it within the month. The school was worried and shocked and was starting to talk about just directly letting him skip to college or university. Marzio had confronted him and asked if something happened, Shen Jiu had replied with, "If I keep talking to you, you'll be in danger." and he had understood.

It didn't stop Shen Jiu for looking out for his friend, especially when he was the tallest tree in the forest and very prone to the wind trying to take him down. Perhaps, he was too sentimental, but his parents would have wanted for him to have a close friend, wouldn't they?

(The protection of Marzio proves very useful in the future when he becomes far too well-known for his own good.)

"Vermont," Bermuda starts, looking very awkward somehow and for some reason. "This will be the last lesson, you've already learned everything that you need to know."

"En."

Following which the mummified baby takes out a stack of paper and took one from the top, giving it to Shen Jiu. Shen Qingqiu did not know what he was going on about and simply raised a questioning eyebrow that drew a somewhat reluctant, pained explanation for Bermuda, which was weird until he heard what he said. "Blow your nose with the paper and think of locating Jaeger."

Blow...his nose? He meant, do that, disgusting, thing, and put, snot, all, over, the place?

At Shen Jiu's expression of disgust, Bermuda tells him a chant.

"...it was made by one of the previous predecessors. They thought it would be funny and all Vipers are to teach this skill to their students on the last lesson. It shames me to have ever tried this technique."

"It works." Shen Jiu says eloquently. "This is complete bull and it somehow works. What the f*ck."

"...this never happened."

"This never happened."

An award silence descends and Shen Jiu gestures at the stack of papers. "Do you want me to..."

"No, no, its tradition. Even if..."

"...mm."

What Shen Jiu had offered was to turn the paper into illusion.

This was something that he had been thinking of for a long, long time. Well. In this life at least. If Mist Flames were able to make illusions into reality, what could Fog Flames do? Wrath Flames were not Stormy Sky Flames and Fog Flames were not Cloudy Mist Flames. 

Wrath Flame's property has not been discovered, as only ten of such users have been recorded. A famous one would be Vongola Secondo and the two things he was famous for was expanding Vongola's power by miles and exlosions.

Really big explosions. Both literally and metaphorically.

As such, he had tested with the Fog Flames he had again and again and found that, if he wanted to turn something real into an illusion, he could. It wasn't like normal Mist Flames that could only make illusions real and cloak real things in illusions, he could turn something real into an illusion. It was as if a it was a play of the phrase, "reality is an illusion". Furthermore, if he turned that thing into an illusion and dispel it, it would be as if that thing never existed.

Theoretically, if he did that to a person...

Either way, since Bermuda did not want him to destroy this longstanding tradition of his, then Shen Jiu wouldn't. He just had to not take in a student and Shen Jiu would be safe from such humiliation. He could almost imagine that student completely giving up if they ever found out that this was something that they had to learn...

On second thought. It would be fine, hopefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *This before was never written into the story because I wanted to continue with other stuff. It happened between meeting the Vindice and making a tentative friend with Marzio (if you still remember him)
> 
> So. Uh. Long time no see? First off, sorry for the long wait! My laptop was in the repair services for a long time and during that time I and my family went out to have our vacation. It was about as relaxing as a rollercoaster is, if you were interested. 
> 
> Secondly, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I now realize that this should probably be put as first but ehh
> 
> Yes. Yes I have made Shen Jiu OP. I don't care. Besides that, we will finally see the Arcobaleno next chapter! Are you excited? Ahaha
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

Returning to the apartment that his parents had left him with, Shen Jiu relaxes by habit before immediately putting his guards up again. He flicks his fan open and covers the lower half of his face, facing the middle of the room that was starting to look more and more suspicious...

Was it time? In any case, he sends several beats down the mental line to Bermuda, hoping that he would understand and get here now.

"Come out," he sneers, every nerve screaming to either run or fight for his life because this man--he was dangerous. Someone who even the Vindice were unable to catch and Shen Jiu had long learnt about what the Vindice was to the mafia world and in retrospect, he was lucky that Bermuda had decided to not kill him immediately, rather choosing to make a deal. The man in the room, Checkerface, Man in the Iron Hat, whatever he was called, chuckled and dropped the illusion.

Xiu Ya had long turned tense and ready to attack despite probably not being enough to actually do anything to the not-human. "Wat do you want?"

What was Checkerface, anyways? The Vindice would love to know.

"As expected of Viper, the Esper." Where was Bermuda? He should be here by now! "But you should know what I want by now." He knows. Of course he knows. Shen Qingqiu was nothing if impossible to force, though. He leisurely waved the fan and asked, "If I refuse?"

"I heard that a storm will be coming." Sh*t, a Storm probably meant *Yunque Qingfeng. "That same little birdy told me the electricity will be cut off to ensure nothing untoward happens." Electricity meant a Lightning, Marzio. Birdy would mean... *Yuda. 

"Is that so."

"The Giglio Nero will hold a ball in a month. On the mountain ranges surrounding their base, the second smallest hill at 0900 hours." Checkerface seemed to be smiling as he held out a fancy looking invitation. Definitely irritating and hateful, Shen Qingqiu could bet that he had also did something that made him unable to contact anyone outside even on a mental level which could be either said as terrifying or expected from the creature that had managed to escape from the Vindice for centuries now. Shen Qingqiu tried his best not to be stiff but every single instinct was yelling at him to move--away from this thing that could kill him without batting an eye. 

Xiu Ya had not budged a single bit. Shen Jiu took the invitation unhurriedly, fan closed and mouth thinned into an unreadable line. It would do no good to emote fear.

The thing was mocking him. 

The Man in the Iron Hat was mocking him and Shen Jiu had no choice but to willingly go along with it. Xiu Ya surged forward and snatched the invitation out of the thing's hands faster than the trained eye could see, it was oddly quiet and the fact that none of the Vindice are here yet, it meant that Checkerface had the ability to completely stop communication even on the Flame level and that was mildly terrifying. 

Checkerface disappeared after that and Shen Jiu let out a sigh of relief. 

If his theory on why he and Xiu Ya are in this world is correct, then the number one suspect of who Yue Qingyuan was would be Yunque Qingfeng. No, that was understating it. If there was anyone in this world who cold be Yue Qi, then it would be the Yunque mentioned earlier. 

Mostly because Yunque Qingfeng never goes anywhere without his pet monkey.

That same pet monkey just so happened to be named Xuan Su.

Moreover, Qing? The current generational name for the Yunque clan was An and when one factors in that fact, it becomes very clear that Qingfeng had changed his generational name to Qing for whatever reason he wanted. 

The Yunque Clan is the powerhouse of Asia. The Vongola is the powerhouse of Europe. It was one of the reasons that Shen Jiu had to be supremely cautious when looking for information on specific individuals higher up in their rankings and the fact that the Yunque were notorious in the Flame Community for absolutely loathing Mists did not help. The world was lucky that the two powerhouses got long with each other, mostly because it was a well-known fact that Alaude, Vongola's first Cloud Guardian and Head of the CEDF, had married into the Yunque Clan.

Shen Jiu floated into his room and turned on the computer that he had long been fascinated with. It was interesting, how far humans could grow. 

The internet was a new thing too. Shen Qingqiu doesn't think that the people truly realize the potential of it. Looking through everything, there were several emails in his personal inbox.

*Sharmila is a former-COMSUBIN member, with the rank of instructor. She awakened her Flames after a close brush to death including one of Aragosta Famiglia-s higher ranked officers and was promptly kicked out because the COMSUBIN had no tolerance for anything mafia-related. It didn't take a day for her to be pulled into the mafia kicking and screaming and Shen Jiu felt a slight twinge of pity. No one had a choice if the mafia wanted anything. 

The important thing was that Sharmila was the most likely to be the Rain Arcobaleno. Yes, Shen Qingqiu had long catalogued who would be most likely to be the Arcobaleno. Knowing this and the fact that no mafia famiglia has been able to truly make a connection with her that was anything better than hostile acquaintances, Shen Jiu decided to extend an olive branch and managed to secure a very useful ally for the future. He would sometimes make "careless mistakes" and "unwittingly" give her the information she needed and they would maintain a steady alliance. 

His parents would have congratulated him on getting a friend, Bermuda had said when he heard about it. Xiu Ya had agreed.

Shen Qingqiu didn't understand it. They were mutually using each other so how could it be friendship? (The moment he saw her name he immediately opened the messages and read through them carefully. Xiu Ya audibly rolled its eyes and simply told him, "Tsundere.")

(Shut up, Xiu Ya.)

Ah, as expected. An invitation to the ball Giglio Nero was hosting had appeared in the room she was in despite her checking everything earlier and feeling that no one else had been in that same room except Sharmila herself. 

A note had been attached to it, saying that she should ask him about it.

Damn that Checkerface.

Air warped beside him and immediately Shen Jiu's room is swarmed by Vindice. Dryly, he told them, "It seems that we still need intel on that man."

From the look Bermuda was giving him, it seemed like he thought that too. Nonetheless he tilted his head to the right--meaning he was curious and not asleep--and replied in a familiar tone. The one he used whenever he is reminded of or is talking about the Man in the Iron Hat, "What did the thing do?"

Ah. His chest felt light, was that normal? 

"Apparently, he had some kind of ability that blocks mental and Flame connection, seeing as I tried both of those and no one arrived until it was too late." He tells his mentor, noticing that everyone was dispersing, probably to be on a lookout against Checkerface. "Moreover, do you remember Talbot? Vongola's Head Mechanic?"

"Of course."

"Both of their presences are similar. How long has that man lived? How could he still look the same after more than a century? It is very possible that the both of them are... the same race or whatever." Xiu Ya stuck its tongue at his face, looking betrayed. Ha. Sucks for it, Shen Qingqiu has long learned how to mask his thoughts from this privacy invading sword-turned-snake! (Xiu Ya very pointedly does not say anything about the fact that Shen Jiu still lets him do so sometimes.)

The both of them stilled and it was as if a veil was being lifted from their eyes. Talbot's strangeness is known to every well-informed person in the mafia, as well as the fact that he has been around ever since Primo's time. 

Despite that, the Vindice had never once been suspicious and tried to interrogate the man himself? There was something fishy going on when one thought about that fact. Xiu Ya made an amused sound and slithered off of Shen Jiu, slinking into the shadows--something he has learned from the Vindice--and probably going out to terrorize or hunt food. Of course, the only reason he had thought of that was because of Checkerface's unique, almost non-existent aura and sense of presence. Shen Qingqiu had met the man during an infiltration mission at the Vongola's...huge residence.

No, really.

Was it truly necessary to have such a big place? Had it existed in hiw old world back when it was pinnacle of righteous sects, Huan Hua would have a competitor for the title of richest sect. Cang Qiong would remain strongest, however, and that--it made Xiu ya tell him that it made him glow with pride.

Who wouldn't be proud of their sect for beating out the strongest mafia famiglia? Not to mention the one who brought the sect to its greatest heights had been their generation...

...Qi-ge. 

If Shen Qingqiu were to be honest, it has been a long time since he actually thought of that person. 

At some point, everything from the past life started to feel like static. Nothing, just memories of a nightmare that had once been his reality. What he had wanted back then when Shen Jiu had first come into the world and now, years later, had changed. At some point, finding Qi-ge and getting an explanation was no longer enough. He wanted the knowledge that his parents approved of him, wanted Bermuda and the Vindice's acknowledgement, wanted to keep someone who probably no longer remembers him safe. 

It was not to say that he had moved on.

Shen Qingqiu thought to himself, he had accepted that it had happened and there was no changing that. In this life that was not anything like his last life, there was no room for regrets. What had once been had once been, no amount of hatred or jealousy or even shame will change anything. 

Qingqiu's death was the best thing to have ever happened to him. Vermont's life was and is the best thing to have ever happened and is happening to him. 

Bermuda's head was tilted to the left this time--asleep or very tired--and Shen Qingqiu--Vermont, Viper let a brief smile adorn his face.

Last life, he had promised all his loyalty to Yue Qi. This life, he would live it for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Yunque is Hibari in Chinese. Qing is the same qing as Qingqiu, Qingyuan, etc. Feng is what fanon has decided Fon's name is pre-curse and I like it.
> 
> *Yuda is only slightly important... at least, I think of it like that. Though, I don't believe he will be a very liked character...
> 
> *Sharmila's identity should be obvious, right? And yeah, I'm giving all of them names for the pre-curse era. You don't name a child Skull. Nor do you name them Reborn. Renato is a fandom thing, I'm pretty sure, so I'll use that.
> 
> I did not expect that chapter to have stretched for so long. I'm excited though, finally, the Arco meeting after nearly--woah holy sh*t 20k words. Nearly. I think. 
> 
> yes, yes I do think that Talbot is an Earthling. In fact I'll add a tag


	11. Chapter 11

"Luce di Giglio Nero is going to die," Xiu Ya hisses in anger. Shen Jiu says nothing as Sky Flames probed and curled around him, very tactfully rejecting the harmony. It was normal, Xiu Ya promises this to every Sky that has tried to harmonize with him. 

If it did go through with these promises, the mafia would be in complete pandemonium, considering that the two Vongola, three Bovino, one Cavallone heirs and literally every mafia Sky he has had the luck to run into has done so. There were some exceptions but that was mostly from Skies that no longer had any room in their Sky and the older ones that decided to have some humanity in the short times they would live and decided that pressuring others into Harmonizing was a bad thing. 

Currently, Xiu Ya's form was a newly hatched viper curled around his arm and slowly slithering out of the dress he was wearing for the current disguise. Which, "Xiu Ya, keep down. Remember that she's clairvoyant, please." The snake hesitated but said nothing else, still muttering angrily in their shared mental link. 

Shen Qingqiu turned to the approaching pregnant woman and fluttered his...her eyelashes, softly asking, "What can I do for you?"

Sky Flames reached for him, whispering of home and comfort and safety. It felt almost reminiscent of his mother and was so, so tempting. Shen Jiu understood now, why Xiu Ya and Bermuda always tell him to not interact with a Sky too much because this feeling was far too addictive.

But, it was unwanted.

His Fog Flames lashed out almost pitifully, not truly wanting to hurt a powerful prospective Sky. Especially one that was pregnant and important. Luce didn't say a thing about it, merely withdrawing them from consciously bothering him. 

"It's nice to finally meet you in person, Viper." The mafia donna nodded, extending a hand for a handshake. Shen Qingqiu took note of the situation around them, noticing that nearly everyone was staring. That was normal, after all, this ball was being held by Giglio Nero to celebrate the pregnancy of their donna and he was interacting with said donna. Most of them gaped upon hearing the name Viper, taking several subtle steps back as if that would protect them should he attack, while most of the Giglio Nero members had their hackles up if he tried anything. Ah, so this was the game Luce was playing?

That's fine, Mists were always the best actors or so they say.

His...her lilac and white frilly skirt swayed and she flicked open her feather fan to hide the lower half of her face. "Likewise, Giglio Nero Donna Luce. Could I ask what you are looking for me for?"

"Nothing, Viper. I am merely honored that you have decided to come to today's ball." Luce knew he would definitely come... so why this? Could it be that she and Checkerface aren't colluding after all? Or was it because she had doubts about a vision? "It is my honor to have met you, my lady."

One last probe from Sky Flames and Luce politely left their conversation. Xiu Ya seems very angry.

"You can't feel it?" The sword-turned-snake hisses. Yes, it was very angry. "She Marked you."

"Marked?" Shen Jiu frowned behind the fan. Xiu Ya hissed and was probably shapeshifted into another snake type because it bit him in anger. "Marked."

That was very concerning. Shen Jiu checked over his Flames and sure enough, it was just a tad different in one spot and he immediately understood why he didn't feel it at first. Harmony blended it in and made it harder to see unless very detail-oriented and purposefully looking for it. The unfelt part was usually a technique for higher-class Skies, but Luce was the soon-to-be Sky Arcobaleno. "I underestimated her." That last probe had likely been the time she had Marked him.

Marking was, for lack of better words, a claim a Sky can put on other Elements so other Skies will know that this Element is being Flame Courted and is off-limits. Shen Jiu could have easily gotten a strong Sky like Vongola Ottavo to do it to him so other Skies wouldn't bother him, but she was also very able to force a Harmonization if he had been the one that asked. As long as the Element consented it, it would become Harmonization, but Skies could do it regardless. In other words, if Shen Jiu ever even had a stray thought of wanting to be Luce's Mist, he would be so.

Of course, this technique is ignored by Skies that are stronger than the one who had Marked that Element. Sometimes, if the Sky was daring enough or had enough of a background, they would also ignore it and Flame Court that Element anyways. But that was usually for the big mafia famiglias like Vongola.

A sharp inhale of breath and he looked back...

...only to come face to face with Yunque Qingfeng. 

Goddangit.

Because right now, he was using Qi Qingqi as a disguise. Other than the dress, the hairstyle was down to the strand on what she preferred and the feather fan he was using was also one of her favorites. It was far too flashy for Shen Qingqiu to enjoy using on a daily basis but sometimes, it was nice to feel the soft fathers tickling his face and...

Storm Flames surged and started to destroy the edges of his illusion. To which he answered with an angered lash of Fog and stomped away, huffing and hearing some of the people whisper about how rough that man was with a woman.

Another plus of disguising as a woman. Pity points without end.

(Yunque Qingfeng wondered why, other than the fact that that person looked exactly like Qi Qingqi, she felt so familiar.)

Shen Qingqiu ended up being the first person in the designated meeting room, not wanting to interact with anyone for a short time. Or else he might end up using his Fog Flames special use on someone. Xiu Ya had immediately shifted into a darker coloring snake and curled up in a corner. 

The place was quite odd. It was a meeting room carved into the side of a mountain, after all. 

Shen Jiu was completely unsurprised at the fact that the up and coming hitman, Renato, was the second human to enter the meeting room. The Sun stared at him for a moment, Sun Flames flaring and they both nodded. 'Don't get in my way and I won't get in yours.' 

Exactly twenty minutes before the meeting was supposed to start, a somewhat familiar green-haired man comes in and proceeds to stare at Xiu Ya that had come back to Shen Qingqiu and was circled on his shoulders. The snake flicked its tongue out before slithering off of him and going towards Marzio. Shen Jiu smiled inwardly, knowing that Xiu Ya was trying to terrorize Marzio like back then except it probably won't work anymore now. 

But Shen Jiu halted his thoughts for a moment and collected them. He had always thought that the strongest of every Flame type were the chosen ones and Bermuda had also either been convinced by it or had proof that it was true. So why was Marzio here? He was not the strongest Lightning, not by a long shot, that would be the Lightning one of the Vongola's heirs were Flame Courting. Could it be that Checkerface was planning something? Or did he find a way to make the Arcobaleno last longer or something like that? Was Luce in on it too? He needed to ask the mummified baby he called his mentor the next time they meet, which would be soon if Shen Jiu had his way. 

About five minutes later, Yunque Qingfeng enters the room. Because of course he does.

Immediately, their eyes meet and Shen Jiu relishes in the confusion that could be seen. The man smiles though, full of teeth and very pointedly taking the seat right in front of Shen Qingqiu, leaving the Marzio who had already taken that place floundering as he was pushed off. 

"Sorry," Qingfeng says. "I wanted to catch up with a long time acquaintance."

Marzio scoffs. "What makes your small brain decide that that wasn't the intention I had? With such brute, I can see why Storms are reputed for their thoughtlessness."

The Yunque laughs mockingly and it probably sounded supremely grating on Marzio's ears because he promptly decided to start muttering about Flames and their connections to a person's personality while aggressively taking the one seat beside Shen Jiu. Renato pointedly clears his throat and the Lightning grumbles but goes back to reading a paper he had on hand. Shen Qingqiu himself rolls his eyes in the safety of his hood and the illusion he used to hide the upper half of his face, playing with his fan. 

Ten minutes before the meeting starts and about time the ball was being dismissed, Luce enters the room with a kind smile and spreading of Sky Flames. Beside Shen Jiu, Marzio stiffens and leans towards the Fog as much as he could without being too obvious. Yunque Qingfeng frowns and flares his own Storm Flames, making a safe barrier around himself and Renato frowns but looked completely unaffected by the Sky Flames... now that was interesting. Did Renato already have a Sky? Or was his poker face/tolerance that good?

Maybe he was one of those people who Bermuda had told him about? The ones who were unaffected by Sky Flames other than their Destined Sky?

Renato made so much more sense now.

Luce offered them cookies and seemed endlessly patient with all their antics and Shen Jiu can see the guilt fueling her actions. Good, let her feel guilty, Shen Jiu would not feel any goodwill towards her until she tells everyone about the curse and everything. Marzio completely ignored her, the Yunque had taken one but destroyed it with his Flames, very blatantly announcing that he did not trust her and will use his Flames on her even if she was pregnant and a Sky and Renato was doing a back and forth until she ended up making espresso for him. 

The pregnant woman did not seem off-put by the fact that Shen Jiu had his face completely covered by the hood, illusion and fan he was using. "Would you like some?"

"Pass." Xiu Ya hissed, having shifted into an adult blue viper at some point and was climbing onto Shen Jiu's shoulders again.

Sharmila makes her appearance at the meeting time, perfectly on time without being a second late. Probably a habit made during her time in COMSUBIN, Shen Jiu took a mental note to change that habit. You never knew what could happen, after all. The Rain took a look at Shen Jiu who was in a corner and surrounded by two people, the two remaining empty seats and decided to stay far away from the chaos, meaning sitting in front of the hitman, hmph the traitor. She too, was offered cookies.

"Can we start now?" Renato interrupts Sharmila before she could say anything. "I also have things to do."

Marzio looked up and at the Sky, knowing that what he had agreed to was a group project whether he liked it or not and the leaders are almost always Skies. Yunque Qingfeng smiled, but it was frailer, as if he had been pondering something bad. It made Shen Jiu pause and wonder what it could have been, but he did not need to know. Not right now, even if Xiu Ya nudges him. 

Luce frowned at them, looking as if she was about to scold them. "We have to wait for our last person to join. Don't worry, he should be near right now." Renato looked angry but said nothing else.

Minutes pass and everyone is slowly becoming increasingly irritated, except for Luce. Whoever this colleague of theirs was, they were not giving a very good impression, were they? But, Shen Jiu thought about it over and over again, wondering just which Cloud had the most chance of being late. Maybe their new colleague had died in a ditch somewhere? That seemed to sum up everyone's current opinion of them. 

Currently, the strongest Cloud was the Number One Hitwoman, Liberta.

Luce's "should be near" was apparently twenty minutes late. The door slammed open and a man in a leather skin-tight suit waltz in before striking a pose and saying, "The Great Skull has arrived!"

Who? 

What the f*ck has Checkerface done?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can anyone tell that I really don't like Luce?


	12. Chapter 12

Renato silently took out his gun and shot the space above "The Great Skull", fooling him into thinking that he had dodged and Renato was trying to kill him. The sheer amount of killing intent the hitman was radiating was not helping that conclusion either. Shen Jiu frowned and probed this "Skull" with his Fog Flames, seeing that he was an Active and that there were no traces of Mist in or on him. A Flame Active civilian, great, just what he needed!

"BWAH!" Skull yelled in surprise, immediately stepping backwards. "What-what the hell!! Why did you do that?!"

"Damnit," Renato cursed, "Whose amazing idea was it to out a civilian here?"

Yunque and Marzio stopped glaring at each other and finally paid attention to what was happening. Marzio looked somewhat excited, as if he had a plan in mind and there was a potential underling he could use. Yunque looked simply as serene as a raging storm, which, why was he so angry? Sharmila frowned and looked at Luce, bluntly telling her, "I feel like you know something about this."

Luce looked as if she was expecting this and considering her ability to see the future, it wasn't unexpected. Shen Jiu clicked his teeth, realizing that he had lost this round by not having enough information.

He'd have to work harder the next time. 

Skull was realizing that he had walked in on something that he probably shouldn't have and he kept darting wary looks towards their group and the paper gripped in his hands. Shen Qingqiu sighed and immediately, the Cloud's attention was focused on him. "S-s-snake!!"

Ah, that's right. Xiu Ya was probably very weird to those not in the know. 

The currently green python flicked it tongue out, looking very interested in the new "prey" that had walked in. Said "prey"'s shrieking probably annoyed Renato because the hitman fired another shot, at the Cloud's feet this time which made him scream... again. Sharmila was immediately on his case, berating him for frightening the civilian to which he responded with the fact that Skull was no longer a civilian the moment he walked in on them. Luce then got on both their cases and starts trying to calm them down, Marzio fanning the flames by telling the two that they were being "simply barbaric". Yunque was staring at Shen Jiu with that weird, weird stare and Skull was slowly and silently trying to leave.

Goddangit this was already a disaster. Whose great idea was it to have seven vastly different individuals work together and achieve world stability again?

Oh yeah. Whoever the first Sky Arcobaleno was. Damn them.

"Skull," Shen Qingqiu decided to bite the bullet and called the weirdly dressed man. He put his fan down and let the Cloud he had momentarily separated from his Fog manifest in his hand. Sharmila and Renato shot him a look but decided that arguing was more important, Luce shot him a grateful smile and Marzio and Yunque were looking at him--or rather, his Flame intensely. "What do you know about this?"

The purple-haired man gaped and pointed at the Flames then at himself, looking very stupid for several seconds before breaking into a grin. "We have the same ability!"

In a flash, Skull was slamming his hands on the table that was on the opposite end he was on and Shen Jiu rectified his opinion of him. Definitely worth exploiting, if he could do things right. Yunque had, in response of the sudden speed of the Cloud, got up and kicked the man into the wall...

...

Xiu Ya snickered, "Vinegar pot." Dust and rock slowly settled and Marzio started telling Yunque off for murdering a potential specimen. Renato snorted as Sharmila started yelling at the red-clad men in anger while Luce seemed fondly exasperated. Shen jiu took a deep, deep breathe and reminded himself that killing all these imbeciles off was not the right way to go. Where was Bermuda when you needed him? F*ck--

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Skull yells from somewhere inside the mess and comes out looking like he had not been subjected to one of Yunque Qingfeng's famously destructive attacks apart from how dirty he was. Marzio let out a long whistle and grinned, generating paper out of nowhere shoving them at Skull who fumbled with them.

"Marzio!" Luce shouted as if realizing something. "Stop what you're doing at once!"

"So we've established that... Skull... is not a normal civilian. Can we start now? We're running out of time." Renato cuts in smoothly, completely ignoring how Luce started fuming at Marzio for thinking that human experimentation was a fine thing to do. Yunque Qingfeng had sat back down, looking about as serene and calm as an angry Storm could look. Why was he even angry? Luce finally stopped being angry at Marzio and started smiling that usual smile of hers.

The good thing about being near a Storm that was consciously emitting his Flames was that the Sky Aura and therefore the Sky Attraction that comes with it was automatically being destroyed. The bad thing was that the illusion over himself was also being eaten at the edges, even though he knew that Yunque had enough control to make it not do that, thank you very much.

"Now, we should all introduce ourselves, shouldn't we? I want to avoid any mistakes," Luce smiled sweetly at all of them. She had sat back down and Marzio was huffing and probably very frazzled by the sheer potency of Sky Flames in the room. Skull looked very stricken by it and Shen Jiu rolls his eyes, letting his Fog Flames take the Sky Attraction in the room into nothing. It was as if it had never been there and everyone looked very, very confused. Renato narrowed his eyes and looked directly at him, of course, the one who had not been affected by it at the least was the one who suspected him. Currently, he was the strongest individual in the room. Renato was right to suspect him.

Luce frowned briefly, also shooting him a look. Shen Qingqiu let his fan fall to give her a mocking smile to which she responded with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

'I know what you did.', 'So what?', 'Watch out.' 

"I'll start. My name is Luce, Giglio Nero's donna." And that second sentence had too many connotations that Shen Qingqiu currently couldn't be bothered with. When no one continued, Skull from where he was seated beside Sharmila, decided that it was his turn to step up the inexistent pedestal again and reintroduced himself. "I'm Skull, the man hated by death itself!"

Sharmila decided that the civilian, too, was crazy and looked at him as if he needs to go to the asylum. In other words, the same way she looked at everyone else in the room, except Luce--oh. Shen Jiu lost again.

At that look, Skull stepped off of the inexistent pedestal and continued. "But you guys can call me Cherep."

"You may call me Devi." Sharmila--Devi decides. Of course she would choose to be called goddess. Renato spun his gun for a dramatic flair before announcing with not a little pride, "I am Renato."

"Viper," Shen Jiu mutters, knowing very well that Marzio and Skull--Cherep were eyeing Xiu Ya who had tuned into an albino python. Marzio probably because he wants to dissect Xiu Ya and find out how its doing that and Skull probably because he wants to know just how many snakes he had brought along. Yunque grins and not unlike Renato, announces, "I am Yunque Qingfeng."

Finally, it was Marzio's turn. The green-haired Lightning gives Shen Jiu a considering look and tells the rest, "Call me Verde."

...really? Could he be more obvious?

Yunque Qingfeng seemed to have noticed something because his glaring at Marzio--Verde intensified and Shen Jiu was left to scratch his head over why. Xiu Ya was laughing maniacally but didn't say anything, simply flicking his tongue at Shen Qingqiu and assuring him it won't be something that would kill them all, which was worrying, concerning the fact that Xiu Ya itself has given Shen Jiu lectures on how anything and everything could be used to kill. 

"So then, from now on, we are Il Prescelti Sette." Luce continues after Verde finishes. Shen Jiu hid a grimace behind his fan, finally knowing that the plan he and Bermuda came up with during his current lifetime was going to start. "Our employer will give us missions and we will share a residence for a whole year. I hope we can get along with each other..." Shen Qingqiu tuned out all the details, having memorized everything that the Vindice pounded into his head several times over. If he did not then he would not dare call himself Shen Qingqiu anymore.

(He wondered whether Bermuda would discard him after his usefulness was gone.)

The manor they were going to share was on the smaller side, going more for practicality than glamor and everyone there was smart enough to appreciate it. Skull was gaping at it and Shen Jiu wondered what Checkerface offered this civilian for him to be so willing to go along with this. Or maybe it was blackmail?

Seven main rooms and two guest rooms. The kitchen, living room and dining room were common rooms and there was a training field and a shooting range at the back of it... there was also a small storage building, filled with weapons anyone could take and use. A Mist had Cloaked the entire place and made it look like another part of the forest. The residence itself is near a big river and is surrounded by a true forest, not to mention it was near another uphill trail, probably the one that lead to where they were supposed to be cursed...

...Luce better tell everyone or he would. Skull was a civilian, Verde is a scientist. They would suffer the most.

Yes, it truly was tailor made for the Arcobaleno.

Shen Jiu glided all the way to the main room in the centermost part of the manor, knowing that if anyone attacked then he would have the most time to get ready... though, considering the fact that the other eight rooms surrounded this one, it should have been for the Sky.

It was also probably why Luce was standing there with an unreadable expression. 

She sighed and took the room right in front of his. "Did you know, Viper, that you were always more of a Sky than I was?" Oh. That must hurt then.

...wait what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally wanted to name Skull Maksim but decided that he wouldn't be so idiotic as too give a room full of 'criminals' his actual name because no one. No one names their child skull in Russian. Unless they have a very morbid sense of humor.
> 
> Also I like how it looks and the fandom also decided that that was Skull's real name so... don't wanna give you guys too hard of a time reading.


	13. Chapter 13

The first mission they went on was an utter disaster. 

No, that was actually understating it. It was a complete and utter disaster wrapped in chaos and illusions to make the, well, illusion of the mission being done to the T and that everything was a very deliberate distraction and in fact not the aftermath of Renato, Yunque and Verde's robots declaring war on each other. Viper, who was left with the cover-up, decided to play some hilariously nasty pranks on everyone for revenge and Yunque's long hair is still an obnoxious pink.

Sharmila thought it was about time that she also get caught in one of them, considering the fact that she had contributed to about half the bullet holes absolutely everywhere. Skull, who had been the get-away driver, was the only one left out.

She glowered at the mirror that showed her somehow green skin.

"VIPER!!!"

\--+=+0+=+--

"-so there are no rejections towards this arrangement?" Luce di Giglio Nero asked for the third time. Renato personally thought that she cared too much for the civilian. The civilian was frozen in place by the pressure of everyone else, appropriately terrified. Yunque was smiling eerily again, like he always did whenever Viper's time was being taken by anyone other than him. Were they married yet?

Right now, they were discussing what to do about the civilian. The one who was apparently the strongest Cloud. It was an insult to the title, really. Liberta would have disdained him completely before mercifully ending his life, one shot was all it took. One shot and yet, he had to live and bear with this obnoxious civilian for the rest of a whole year.

(Renato could admit that he held a grudge. Why was this civilian the Strongest Cloud when it was so obvious he was untrained and had no idea about Flames? Why wasn't it the current Greatest Hitwoman? This was one of the biggest insults their employer could have slapped into their faces even if Viper, Yunque, Verde, Devi and Luce didn't show it.)

Back to the topic, the civilian was supposed to be taught by them about the mafia, controlling his Flames and fighting, or well, self-defense. It had ended up with Verde being banned from teaching Skull, Devi teaching about laws and everything concerning the government, Yunque had ended up with self-defense--though if he was going to actually do it was debatable, considering that he looked and is acting very pissed right now--Renato had ended up with firearms, Viper had ended up with illusion-identifying and Flame control, seeing as he apparently had a Cloud secondary--and that was very surprising, considering that Clouds and Mists were... well. They just were.--and Luce had ended up with the general mafia.

This was going to be chaotic.

Renato would love it.

\--+=+0+=+--

Vermont had changed a lot.

Marzio frowned briefly as he caught onto the flaws of the illusion and tore it down. It was a half-hearted effort at most, the illusion was. Vermont who had taken to wearing a cloak, casting an illusion and using a fan stared back at him, wielding a sword. 

It felt very, very odd. Either the entire time he had seen him in the most recent week or so had been an act or the time they had spent as children had been an act. Marzio would prefer the time in the most recent week being an act and he knew for a fact that it was. Vermont was a sentimental person and he has noticed a lot in his time as a researcher.

In shorter terms, Vermont was the least likely person to lie or betray him in this household, seconded by Cloud C9.

"What is it?" Vermont asked, the fan falling. Observation has told him that he does that with the people he trusted would not turn traitor unless it was for a very good reason, namely Marzio himself and strangely, Storm Q1. It seemed that the brain thought that it was a good reason for him to feel the emotion "fond", though that depended on why. He would need to research it later. But the small pause was enough to make Vermont turn to him and feel the emotion "concern" or so his strange Flames conveyed--another thing Marzio would need to research on.

There is a small silence as he looks at the snake and opens his mouth to say, "I never did ask what your pet snake's name was."

"Xiu Ya," Vermont responds, putting away the fan and letting the sword dissipate. Interesting, he could make real illusions? Another silence falls and he, strangely, tells Vermont. "I'm not a sentimental person."

"I know." The snake, Xiu Ya, was climbing Vermont's leg now.

"Don't think I didn't notice." Marzio scowls, the emotion "irritation" being annoying yet again. 

"En."

It was quiet again as they walked in, hearing Rain D3 yell at Cloud C9 about something. This time, Vermont initiates the conversation. "And yet you follow me closer every time."

"You are the least likely to turn tail on me." Marzio responds with his mind and feels it abruptly halt as Vermont shoots him a small smile. He could imagine that child from back then grown up and still stubbornly refusing to cut his hair and--he needed to research on human emotions again. "Is that so?"

\--+=+0+=+--

Looking between Renato and Viper, he asks, "So, between the two of you, who's stronger?"

"I am." Both answer at the same time. Both also swivel their heads to either stare or glare down the other and Maksim--Cherep, he was Cherep right now--feels as if he had messed up bad this time. 

It was quite obvious that Verde would not enter this strength competition thing, he was a scientist who could only be bothered about what he was researching. Yunque was automatically out because Cherep felt that asking him and Viper would automatically go with Yunque conceding. Luce was pregnant, that's a huge no-no. Devi was completely uninterested, or so she seemed. Cherep wanted to know so he could run to one of them when the other was angry. That may have been a bad idea though.

"Cherep!" Devi hisses, gritting her teeth and putting down the gun--gun! It was an actual gun and has been used to kill! How scary was that?!--she had been polishing. "You idiot!"

Yeah. He really was an idiot.

Luce was smiling in that weird way of hers and her aura felt heavy and safe. Yeah. Maybe he should have just run to Luce every time instead of instigating this.

And so, the incident that was later known as "The Mysterious Disappearance of Mount Aragosta" happened.

\--+=+0+=+--

Xuan Su was rightfully furious. Yue Qingyuan winced at the iron grip the monkey had on his hair, trying to coax it down from where it was seated very comfortably on Yue Qi's head. Cherep was laughing out loud now, Verde looking at them as if they were the most annoying things in the world. 

He winced yet again when the monkey up and left with a furious hiss. 

"What did you even do to make that pet monkey of yours so angry?!" Cherep demands, still holding his sides and probably making an effort not to laugh even more. It was almost grating and would be humiliating if he didn't wish for someone to be this type of casual close to him. Preferrably, Xiao Jiu, but considering the fact that Shen was seriously cultivating and was more likely to ascend and become immortal in this life and Yue Qi simply did not think about cultivating all these years, that was going to be a long, long time.

...possibly never. 

"I didn't arrange a playdate for him and his friend." Qingyuan...feng tells Cherep with a grin. "He wanted to meet his friend." Lover, Yue Qingyuan wanted to say, but Xuan Su was already angry about the fact that it had not seen Xiu Ya for so long despite being able to, it would not do to make it even more angry.

"While it is a very interesting topic," Verde interrupts, sounding more annoyed than he looked. "Please do well to remember that we are in the middle of enemy territory and the only other people who know of our location is on the other side of the country."

Basically, shut up and stop messing around.

This time, they had been separated into two groups. The Giglio Nero donna had been excluded on the grounds of being about to give birth and then they had done a draw.

In the end, Viper, Devi and Renato were in one group while he, Cherep and Verde were on the other. How annoying.

Neither Devi or Renato had wanted to switch with him and both were working together to make sure he doesn't go on the same team as Xiao Jiu. Why was that? Did they also have intentions or was it some kind of scheme and he would get in the way? Really, really annoying that he can't just order them around.

(In truth, it was because they would rather not be suffocated to death by sexual and romantic tension and decided to keep the two awat from each other.)

Goddamnit he just wanted some alone time with Viper. 

\--+=+0+=+--

Luce frowns, rubbing her stomach. Checkerface is before her and still holding the same expression.

"...I don't understand," she admits, bowing her head and feeling helpless. Her Flames still unconsciously reach for the powerful Mist in their fray despite having already locked onto Viper's, it would make her feel annoyed had she not known beforehand that Viper would be the hardest to pull in. "Aren't they mine?"

"You misunderstand," Checkerface tells her cheerfully. "You were always going to be the Sky Arcobaleno, weren't you smart enough to deduce the rest?"

Luce could admit that even she wanted some ignorance. "Ignorance is bliss" as they say. 

"If you have realized it then that's good."

They weren't hers. Maybe some, but the others would never be hers and it hurt so, so much.

She was going to be the Arcobaleno's Sky, but she would never be them, as individual's Sky. Maybe Cherep or Devi and maybe eve Renato but the Qingfeng, Viper and Verde... even now, Devi, Renato and Skull prefer to gravitate towards Viper rather than Luce and it hurt. Was she not the Sky of the group? Why would they go towards Viper instead? He was obviously a Mist.

It did hurt. Luce had spent her entire life assuming that the Arcobaleno were her Elements and even Rejected her Destined Sun to make sure that there was room for Renato. 

How could it not hurt?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the vignette style writing is here
> 
> Yeah, everyone calls each other differently in this household ahhaha. It will take time to get used to.


	14. Chapter 14

Goddamn parties.

Shen Qingqiu grumbled to himself while finishing the last touches of make-up he had borrowed from Devi. His long purple hair pulled into a strict bun and bangs framing his face. The elegant royal blue and white dress he wore hugged his illusory curves perfectly and flared out, reaching his ankles and just slightly hiding the weaponized high heels he wore. Like this, he looked like how his mother would have had she dressed up.

Would she have liked to go to one of these balls? He bet his father would have dressed up like a prince and they would have spent the night dreamily staring at one another before sucking each other's faces off romantically. Somehow. 

How did making out even work?

Xiu Ya hissed, looking strangely pleased and circled his neck, turning into a blue viper hatchling. It strangely completed the image and blended in rather well. As long as the snake didn't move, that is. 

Taking the paper folding fan father had bought, he had improved and fitting an illusion over it to make the paper look like embroidered silk and the handle metal, Shen Qingqiu gathered the items he had borrowed from Devi and stuffed them back into the bag he had gotten them in--with an odd look. Not judging, but just, odd.

Of course, there was no forgetting to put an illusion over himself so he didn't look exactly like just himself with make-up on. That would be a rookie mistake.

Renato, who was his assigned partner this time, raised a brow and whistled. He smirked, in that usual way that would make maidens bend over backwards to fulfill his requests, and was very obviously leering at this disguise Shen Qingqiu had put together. "If you dressed like this all the time, I would have chased you even if it meant going against Yunque."

"What does he have to do with this?" Shen Qingqiu asks mood darkening when was reminded of that idiot.

Renato laughed mockingly, but when Shen Qingqiu said nothing else, he stopped abruptly and looked as if he wanted to shout louder. "You... the two of you aren't together?!"

"No!" Shen Jiu hissed back. Him? Together with the idiot? Not in this life! "Where did you get such an absurd notion?!"

It is quiet again and Renato seemed to be contemplating something very serious. Slowly, he raised a hand and asked when Shen Qingqiu nodded looking very serious. "If I chased you with the intention of dating you, what would your reaction be?"

"Bad." 

"But not because of Yunque?"

"I'll ask again, what does he have to do with this?"

"...yeah, I'll light a candle for someone in a while." Renato suddenly leaned in and pushed the fan a way, grinning like a little troublemaker and Shen Jiu looked in the corner of his eye that the idiot Yunque was staring at them with an absolutely incensed look. Ah, Renato was playing a prank? What is this about? "So you're fine with me chasing you, Vi-per~?"

Wha--? When did he say that?!

Yunque looked crestfallen now and stomped down back to where he had come from. Renato stopped leaning in and started laughing, holding his stomach. 

Xiu Ya shook his head.

Devi was paired with Cherep this time and said male was gaping at Shen Qingqiu. He looked like a fish and pointed at Shen before saying haltingly, "You. Viper?? That's, that's you??"

Shen Qingqiu nodded at him and he promptly flushed, looking away. Renato was snickering meanly.

At some point, Marzio had migrated over to their small gathering and was having a very odd staring contest with Xiu Ya, which made him look like he was staring unabashedly at his...her chest. Yunque and Luce were the last pair to come and the idiot Storm still looked sad for whatever weird reason 

It was a Vongola Ball, to celebrate the choosing of Vongola Nono and mostly to give him the chance to make connections and maybe even find an Element or two. Shen has valid information that Timoteo had Harmonized with three Elements and two are being Flame Courted, meaning that he needed one last one. Lightning, to be exact, and it sounded like he has had a very bad luck with them so far. Looking at Verde, he thought that the man probably won't even last one encounter with him. Probably. It wasn't that he cared all that much or anything.

(How could he not care about Verde's dry connections? He was going to be cursed and was one of them who would be all alone. Shen wouldn't be able to guarantee nothing would happen because he would also have been newly cursed.)

He would repeat it again, goddamn parties.

Truly too annoying. 

'"Excuse me!" A childlike voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts and Shen Qingqiu turned to look at the presence he had felt but not properly registered due to lack of ill intent. It was admittedly careless of him, but with so many presences around being overwhelming, he felt that he needed to be given a break regarding this. He blinked at the baby in front of him that held a very recognizable orange pacifier. 

Information automatically passed through his mind. The Sky Arcobaleno, Antonella, Vongola Ottavo's elder sister and the only remaining one of her set. 

Ah. She must have noticed their group.

"Is there something I can do for you?" He does not call the Sky Arcobaleno 'child', knowing that she was probably sick and tired of it. Treat the Arcobaleno with respect and like an adult, not like a child. The Sky seemed to have realized that Shen knew something and Antonella's Flames surged forward, feeling like a familiar blanket rather than Luce's embrace. "I can't reach the table, could you please help me, madame?"

Shen Qingqiu thought of several ideas before leaning down and offering his hands as a stepping place. The Sky blinked and paused for a moment, probably expecting him to directly pick her up. 

The Sky sat down on his hands and picked up two slices of the fruit tart, offering one to him. It looked and felt practiced and natural, as if they had known each other for a long time. It was exceptionally familiar.

"It's fine. Please eat," he responds, feeling especially odd when Devi and Cherep passes by without shooting him an incredulous look. 

"You know about it," she comments idly, swinging her legs and leaning into his illusionary breasts. Of course, because Renato was a mean, rude person with no semblance of shame, he came back from terrorizing some mafioso at this time. Of course, it was at this moment that Antonella probably realizes that their time together was ending and squeezed his arm, telling him softly enough that only the two could hear each other in the background music and murmurs of others. "Take care of them, won't you?" before hopping away.

And of course, it was at that moment that he realized why she felt so familiar. 

Ah, *Shizun was here too. She didn't remember her past life, it seemed, and they weren't going to see each other anymore. It almost hurt, but hadn't he long accepted her death back in his first life? Meeting her here and now when she was one foot in the grave was a nice thing, he thought. At least he got to meet her at all.

So then, what was this suffocating feeling in his chest?

Renato raised a brow. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

"No," he had no need to explain himself. Shen Qingqiu fell into his role once more and smiled coyly at Renato flicking his fan open and hooking their arms together. 

This time's mission was, after all, to make sure the ball goes without any sudden interruptions. 

\--+=+0+=+--

Where the f*ck was he? Tyr scowled. He had felt two familiar presences in the crowd and being unable to find them was supremely grating on his nerves right that moment. He had even deigned to go to some random party--something about Daniela finally being decisive?--just because Yue had said Shen would also be here.

F*cking parties. They were completely useless. 

He just wanted some answers from that scum of a shixiong he had. For example, why the f*ck did he try and save Liu Qingge? Then, was everything a lie? The scum-iness, arrogance and everything?

Why did he have to question something he should've known alive after dying again? Oh yeah, because he was a goddamn softie and it was only right to return the favor of trying to save a life despite failing. The sword he refused to leave without or put down dug into his side due to the fact that he can only squeeze in the crowd while chasing the presence he recognized as Shen's, and--goddamnit why was he moving again?!

Wanting to scream but can't, he rudely pushed through everyone yet again. 

"Tyr!" Daniela calls from somewhere behind him and Liu Qingge turns to glare at her. He could hear the people around whispering about the sheer audacity he had. He did not care.

If they had the strength then they would say it directly to his face. 

"What?!" He snaps at her when her Flames glomped him and he batted them away in response. She pouts, "Hey, hey! Can't I greet my favorite Varia Head?"

"Do I look like I care?" He replies, eyes still roaming the crowd in search of someone. She gasps dramatically, turning his head to look at her directly and he bristles at her, noticing and being thankful of the fact that everyone else was giving the two of them a big berth. "Are you... looking for Elements?!"

...was he? 

The answer was a big, fat, "No."

Then, "You talked to your Destined Element but they have unfortunately been taken by another Sky and is asking for you to help them because they've been forced into Harmonization!"

That was an even bigger, fatter, "No."

"Ha! I knew it! Don't worry, I'll help you!"

"Don't think that I don't know that you just want me to find some poor woman and make me make your so-called darling grandchildren..." Liu Qingge trails off, eyes following a purple-haired woman accompanying a black-haired man. That presence...!

Why the f*ck was Shen Qingqiu a girl?!

"-yr! Hello? Earth to Tyr?" Daniela the nosy person she is saw clearly that he was staring at someone of the other species and started laughing. Her Storm had migrated to her side at some point and was looking at him with a knowing and understanding look. Wait, what the f*ck she understand about this! "It's not what it looks like!"

Vongola's Mist came after sensing something greatly delighting their Sky and they probably exchanged some words because the woman patted his shoulder and went to follow Shen Qingqiu while he was stuck here!

"I--" he is cut off by Daniela catching him in a headlock and rubbing his face with her knuckles.

"Good! Good, Tyr darling has finally taken interest in a woman, this is the best news I have heard all year!" To which Liu Qingge flushed a dark shade of red and refuted, "It is not what it looks like, that woman was just--"

"Beautiful? Elegant? Eye-catching?" She did not release him and he did not make any moves to get out of the hold. 

What he couldn't refute was all that. Because Shen Qingqiu really was all that.

Goddamn parties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can anyone tell that I think SQQ would make a really pretty woman? Also, as expected, writing in SQQ's POV is the best.
> 
> Look, I also didn't think about doing this, it just suddenly popped up? Anyways, the soul that was the Sky Arcobaleno before Luce became it was the soul of the previous Peak Lord of Qing Jing and SQQ's Shizun.


	15. Chapter 15

Luce smiled down at the Sky Arcobaleno, with all the sincerity someone who knows when and how the other will die could. It was probably presumptuous and arrogant of her, but...

Checkerface had given her a set date. 

Nine months after the last of the previous set has perished, or in other words, before the lack of one set of the Tri-ni-Sette started affecting the balance of the world and became visible to the people. It would also give her enough time to have already given birth and fed her daughter until she is strong enough. Rubbing her stomach, Luce did not (want to) look at the pitying look Antonella was giving her. 

Now, why was the Varia Head screaming so loudly? 

\--+=+0+=+--

A month and a half after they all start living together, Renato bursts into the house during the drowsy hours of the night, soaked in blood with a bullet in both his stomach and thigh, grinning all the while. 

The civilian Cloud drops the console he was using, making the television show a huge "GAME OVER" sign and screams, alerting the rest of the household. Devi and Yunque who were on cooking duty come running, catch sight of his bloody figure and decide to bring him to Verde probably because he was a scientist, the closest thing to being a doctor here. Luce, from where she was in her room, leaves and sees them on the way bringing him along and gives him a smile and lets her Flames surround him for one blissful moment.

Viper was... where was he? Renato's head swam with thoughts and observations, the blood loss finally getting to him. 

Right, how the f*ck did he even get here? Wasn't he half a country away from this place? 

The Mist turns the corner from where he knew there was nothing and silently followed the two who were bringing him to get treatment. There he was. But, something seemed wrong. 

Verde had already prepared a table for the surgery and was mumbling something about blood donors and idiot Ver-something-s. Was he swearing because he forgot about something? Or, the more important thing, how was he already prepared? Renato wasn't anywhere near here when he fought Liberta... 

"Put him on the table," he heard faintly, the voices getting fuzzier by the moment. 

Hey, where was his chameleon? Leon?

For one blissful moment, everything goes black. The next moment, he was opening his eyes to a brightly lit room and hissing from how white everything was. What the f*ck, were they trying to blind him or something? A wet towel is suddenly placed on his closed eyes and Renato felt a faint trace of very distinguishable Mist Flames before they covered their own trail. Noises, voices talking to each other. He should get up, hear the important intel they were definitely discussing, but--his Flames--

A sudden rush of distinguishable Mist and Renato is consumed by another blissful moment of darkness. 

When he wakes again, the wet towel was being taken off and Renato opens his eyes to see a dimmer room and Viper--wait! He wasn't using his hood!

Viper was very, very attractive. His face had Yunque beat on "pretty boy" looks and the long purple hair was tied into a low ponytail, bangs framing his face and bringing attention to his abnormally pretty green eyes. His body was more slender than built and looked far better in that shirt and shorts rather than the baggy clothes and cloak he usually wore. Goddamn, he knew that this household had some kind of rule regarding attractiveness but did they all have to be supremely attractive? Did they know that Renato was a man in his prime and didn't have a lover to remind himself to hold back? On that note, could he push one of them down and get to it already?

Yunque would probably start actively trying to kill him though. Meh, nothing Renato couldn't handle.

Viper blinked at him and the slight confusion in his eyes felt almost weird. Has no one ever stared at him like that before? It was then that he remembered that Viper had a tendency to wear baggy clothes and completely cover his face, no wonder he wasn't used to this. 

"You weren't supposed to be awake until morning." Viper says and does not comment on Renato's obvious ogling. He turns around and ruffles through the closet and--wait a second.

This... was Viper's room?

The snake, Xiu Ya, hissed and seemed very, very amused. It would probably be good friends with Leon, now that he thinks about it.

\--+=+0+=+--

"We're going to the beach?!" Cherep's voice was high pitched in excitement. Luce smiled at that and the woman seemed more and more unsettling each time she did. Sharmila--Devi could not understand why it felt off, it just did. Viper, dressed the same way as usual--did he have copies of the exact same outfit or something?--flicked his fan close and whacked Cherep over the head with it, inciting a dramatic cry of pain that she rolled her eyes at. "Yes, Cherep. We are in fact going to the beach, so can everyone please pack up what they need?"

This wasn't a mission. Meaning, it was more of a bonding activity and Devi hoped to every god out there that she would not meet any familiar people.

Now, looking at the idiot blonde who was kneeling and crying in front of her, she felt that she had truly jinxed herself. 

"...should I give you a moment?" Viper asks, looking at Colonello then at the rest of the group that were further away. "No. No need. Colonello, leave."

The idiot looked at Viper, then at her and started arriving at his own conclusions. That was a bad thing. A very, very bad thing because Colonello and bad ideas do not mix together very well, they usually end up with tons of property damage and she could not afford that right now. "No. Viper, come on, you are absolutely not going to the beach with that attire!"

Looking at the cloak and baggy clothes, he asks, "What's wrong with it?"

Goddamnit. Devi was surrounded by dense idiots!

(They got home and suddenly Cherep had a pet octopus. Yes. Everyone within her surroundings are idiots.)

\--+=+0+=+--

It is one day, when Cherep, Viper and Qingfeng are on cooking duty, does he ask. "Hey, Viper."

Viper grunts, indicating that he was listening and Cherep can visibly see Qingfeng perk up and stare at Viper... how should he say this? In an odd way? God, that guy was whipped. The scale-less snake coiled on top of Viper's head and staring at the black lump he called eggs turned to stare at Cherep with an expression of "hurry up, you're wasting our time" and Cherep blurted out the question h had been asking himself for a long time. "How many snakes do you actually have? Where do you even keep them?! How do new ones keep appearing out of thin air?!"

Viper turns to him and with a deadpan, "Magic."

Cherep blinked. 

"Wait, really--"

"Of course not, I pick them up from the streets all the time."

That made even less sense!

Qingfeng was smiling serenely but the poor vegetables on the chopping board were cut unevenly and he was very visibly enjoying Cherep's misery. Curses, he shouldn't have put his hopes on a whipped man.

This was how Skull's "Operation Serpentine Truth" started.

("Can't you just show him Xiu Ya's shape-shifting ability and be done with it?" Verde hisses out, glaring at the screen before him with unconcealed annoyance bordering on murderous intent. Xiu Ya just stares at the scientist with an innocent expression and Shen Qingqiu hums in response, casting a glance at the screen covered by a crouching stuntman before looking back at the theory he was rereading and the solution that the both of them had concocted after a short while. "It should be fine to continue with the final step and proceed with testing now."

Verde proceeds to completely forget about their unwanted guest and looks in anticipation as Shen Jiu lifts an illusory part of the solution and the unknown liquid starts bubbling before settling down. Immediately, Verde is on it with a manic grin. 

Yes, this was the best way to distract the obsessed man.)

(Devi was getting very fed up with all the nonsense happening and directly grabbed Xiu Ya that was hanging around Viper's shoulders as a green anaconda, the snake baring its fang and hissing but not doing anything else, before shoving it in Cherep's face and ordering it with a dark expression. "Change."

Cherep freaks out slightly, full out squealing when the snake concedes and turns into a smaller species of snake before slithering up Viper's sleeves.)

\--+=+0+=+--

"What are you thinking about?" Yue asked, sitting beside his Xiao Jiu. Xiu Ya glares at him, that's fine, he had enough time to change future-mother-in-law's opinion. Shen shifts and gives him a slight glance before looking back at the rising sun, his entire being screaming "I'm thinking of something", to Yue Qi at least. It may not be like that to others, most probably. "After I was arrested..."

Immediately, Yue Qingyuan's entire attention is on Shen Qingqiu who continued as if unbothered. "What happened to the sect?"

Of course. Qingyuan hid a smile behind his sleeve, Qingqiu had always loved the sect, it was after all the place he had lived in for most of his life and was one of the things Shigu had left him to take care of. Even if slightly, he should have felt comfort in the sect and that it was home right? 

If not, then Yue Qi had failed yet again at another thing concerning Shen Jiu. One by one, he would make it up to Shen Jiu in this life, even if Shen didn't necessarily want him too. 

"I disbanded it." Yue admitted. The memory of it, the fact that it had to happen was still a thorn in his heart. "That--Luo Binghe had merged the human and demon realms. Cang Qiong was...in the Endless Abyss, we could not go on like that and the remaining Peak Lords had agreed--"

A laugh suddenly interrupted him. 

Shen Qingqiu was laughing, his grip on the cloak worrying. Yue blinked, "Xiao--"

"Don't call me that!" Xiao Jiu snapped at him and Yue Qi caught the wet cheeks and chin, his heart freezing. Why--

"The beast lied to me..." Yue Qingyuan did not know what to do, hovering awkwardly and intently listening. It was odd, everything that Xiao Jiu was doing, like relief but... dark. "Good... I did not bring the sect down..." 

Shen Qingqiu murmured after a period of silence. "Do you want to know why we were both reborn with our past life's memory intact?"

Yue Qingyuan hummed before telling him. "No."

He did not want to know why, it would make him feel a sense of duty that has to be fulfilled. If he did not know then he could not be blamed, all Yue Qingyuan knew was that... in this life, he absolutely had to make everything up to his Xiao Jiu. If not for Xiao Jiu, then the person Yue loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If YQ and SJ weren't there then this would have definitely become a poly Arco fic. I love that ship btw. The first part is basically Renato ogling Viper, also the time he got the title of Greatest Hitman.
> 
> The last member of the Arcobaleno appears! Colonello will be here...sometime. 
> 
> How was the 79 scene? 
> 
> Been a long time. Mid-terms and school as a whole sucks. School is especially an asshole and I hope that they all burn after being massacred in the halls they call an educational institute better known as torture chambers.


	16. Chapter 16

"For completely unrelated reasons to what I am researching," Verde says one day during dinner--one that Luce insists everyone has together. It was annoying--and Renato finds himself looking up at the following words. "What are everyone's ages, exactly?"

Oh-ho? Verde, trying to get to know them? Even Viper shoots him an odd look.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" He snarls and brings his notes closer to his face to hide the blush Renato could see extended to his ears. If he remembered clearly, the Japanese had a saying for this kind of thing..."Yandere"? No, that was Yunque. Ah, that's right! "Tsundere."

"I am not a--!"

Renato laughs and gestures at the scientist's completely red face. "You totally are! So self-conscious too, when did I say the word "you" at all?" 

Devi raises her eyebrows and asks Viper, "What's a 'tsundere'?"

Viper promptly replies, "It seems to be a popular word from Japan to describe a person who's actions are dishonest to what they actually feel, mostly to the person they are romantically inclined to."

Verde seemed like he was ready to explode as he yelled. "Ages! I want to know your ages!!"

Cherep, in a rare act of defiance, ignores the Lightning and asks Devi and Viper. "So basically...they bully the person they don't like?"

The Rain and Mist nod and immediately Cherep is looking at Verde with a very, very weirded out expression. Yunque and Luce are softly laughing, further incensing the already incensed scientist. Renato decides they today shouldn't be the day they break Verde so he answers the question he had asked, "I'm twenty-six turning twenty-seven this year." Renato snorts before redierecting the question, "How about you then, Cutie?"

Verde glares at him but answers nonetheless, "Viper and I are twenty-four this year." Of course, never missing a chance to piss the Storm that is Yunque off. 

"I'm thirty," Luce offers, spreading her Sky Aura a bit more, if how tense Devi is were to be used as a scale. Renato could honestly feel it but not feel any attraction but that was...good. He still had not figured out how Viper had done the thing he had done the first meeting, but he also hadn't figured out how he got back to this place after being shot twice half-a-country away. Yunque gives Verde a smile full of teeth and says, "Twenty-five."

For some reason, Verde gets a smug expression when he hears that. 

Renato almost didn't want to know anymore. 

Devi sighs out loud, breaking these two rivals in love staring contest. "I'm twenty-six this year," she tells Verde who looks at Cherep, the last one. The Cloud grins proudly before announcing just as proudly, "Twenty-two!"

...it is silent before Viper asks insensitively, "Why are you so proud?"

Cherep replies by shamelessly clinging onto Viper and receiving Yunque's murderous glare, telling him, "Clearly I'm the baby of the group! You all have to protect me!" Of course, while saying this he does not forget to stick his tongue out at Renato. The Sun's mouth twitched, annoyed and about to whip the guns out when Viper replies.

"Isn't the baby of the group in Luce's stomach?"

Renato bursts in laughter.

\--+=+0+=+--

*Yuda is very obedient as he listens to everything Shen Qingqiu has to tell him and he is very satisfied with this boy. 

Despite what people would think, Shen Qingqiu really did enjoy teaching. It was just that, children should not be put under his care for anything more than the passing of knowledge or else... well, just look at Luo Binghe that beast. Yuda was somewhat similar to Shen Jiu in which he had awakened his Mist Flames and was being chased by several Famiglias who wanted a young, moldable Flame Active, then they had met in a coincidence and Shen Jiu ended up teaching the boy in the ways of information broking and illusionists. Yuda had also ended up being one of his more trusted confidants...not that he had many...

The boy never sought him for anything other than the reports of whatever mission or if he wanted to know if this or that thing was possible to do. It was nice.

"In short, prepare to have a falling out with the Giglio Nero at any time." Yuda murmurs. "And...Viper! Uh, You, were you really chosen as Il Prescelti Sette's Mist? There have been rumors going wild that the Giglio Nero is about to compete with the Vongola over the number one title..."

"Who do you think I am?" Shen Jiu asks. "Why should I bind myself to a Sky?" Especially one that did not have the guts to change the future. Not that many people thought so, always thinking of how to get the Giglio Nero donna to tell them of the future.

Yuda's calculating side finally came out and Shen Jiu left him to think of it.

\--+=+0+=+--

"Lllllll--"

Cherep looks around, picking his ear. "Hey, do you guys hear something?" 

Yunque continues to throw dragons made of Storm Flames at Renato and bullets buzzing with intense Sun Flames were flying everywhere. Verde the Lightning has decided not to do his job as Lightning and so Viper and Devi are the ones who has to make seals or slow down the stray bullets and residue Storm Flames so they don't hurt anyone else. 

Renato and Yunque were sparring over some freak combination of factors. In short, it was Luce's fault for proposing to partner everyone up and Renato and Yunque for being hardheaded idiots. 

"-aaaaaaaaa--"

OK, that was definitely heard. Devi turns her head to where a green and yellow idiot was approaching and--wait a f*cking moment.

Why the f*ck was Colonello here?! 

"-lll!"

Luce laughs as an idiot blonde throws himself at her, just missing a stray Storm Flame dragon. Devi herself takes a step to the side and watches as the idiot faceplants into the ground before looking up to see Viper and a viper. The idiot snarls and points at the unimpressed Mist, "It's you!"

The paper fan is flicked close and open several times before Viper thinks of actually replying to the idiot who was lying on the ground, "You're talking to me?"

"Yes, I'm talking to you!" The idiot gets up and Devi looks back to see that Renato and Yunque had stopped for one reason or the other. Idiot proceeds to dust off the dirt that had gotten on him and glares at Viper, getting himself automatic blacklist status from Yunque and the snake sitting on Viper's shoulder. "Who are you to La--"

Nope. Devi was not letting that embarrassing nickname be found out by this bunch of jerks. 

She pulled the idiot out of hearing range and proceeds to hit him over the head. 

\--+=+0+=+--

"This is getting ridiculous," Marzio complains to the one person who could stop this stupidity if he wasn't so busy being amused by said stupidity. Vermont rolls his eyes and looks out the window where Sun R3 and Storm Q1 were having an arm wrestling contest and asks in a tone that was simply looking forward to chaos. "What would happen if I snatch Cherep as my partner?"

Marzio ponders over it and gives him the most likely thing that would happen, "W--they would start hunting him down."

"Then, what would happen if you and Yunque were partnered?" Vermont asks, seeming very amused but had his hood back on again. It was Verde's turn to roll his eyes and pull the hood down, "I'll poison him and send him to our medic."

Vermont huffs. He was the apparent medic of the group until they get to an actual medic, Renato starts being a classic Sun or Marzio learns about human biology in a way that does not make him want to experiment with it. In other words, Vermont was too good of an all-rounder and they were all mildly grateful...OK that was an underestimation, they were all immensely grateful of the fact after the chaos that was their first mission was completed. 

"...they get along very well, don't they?" Vermont starts and flicks his fan open, hiding the mischievous smile but not the glint in his eyes. Marzio snorts and follows along. "They really do, in fact, wouldn't it be best if the both of them were partners?"

They both laugh.

Vermont, during dinner that was held outside because Renato and Yunque were now having a debate contest, promptly declares and causes chaos, "Cherep will be my partner."

Marzio huffs and eyes Rain D3 and the blonde guy following her around. "Devi, may I have the pleasure of--"

"NO!" The rude blonde apparently called 'Colonello' yells, to which Marzio suppresses the urge to electrify him and see once more how the human body reacts to being electrocuted again. Who knows, maybe he'll find something new! "You are not going to be partners with La--"

Devi was very visibly annoyed as she covered the newly-dubbed C0's mouth from saying anything more... that's right, didn't he say "Lal" or something similar earlier? Was it Rain D3's nickname?

"Its fine Devi, we're all in the same group aren't we?" Sky L7 laughs. 

"He isn't."

"In any case," Vermont suddenly interrupts them. "We have decided on our partners, what else do you want, Luce?"

...ah? It seems there was something bitter between the two of them. It wouldn't have mattered to Marzio had it not been Vermont being one of the people involved. Honestly, was it because one of them did something morally unacceptable to the other or was it a pure dislike for Skies? Vermont has said several times that he never wants to be bound by a Sky, ever. There seemed to be something fueling his dislike for Skies, but since Marzio himself wasn't a Sky, he did not care.

In short, another thing was added to the ever-growing list named "Observations to be Made".

The results of what Luce had asked them were this: Sun R3 and Storm Q1, Vermont and Cloud C9, Marzio and Rain D3. Sky L7 had decided that C0 would stay with them until further notice with the reason that this place might be leaked to enemies and so they were partnered.

It was absurd. Everyone knew there was a strong Mist barrier that made it almost impossible to get to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Yuda was mentioned in an earlier chapter, specifically the one where Checkerface invites Shen to be an Arcobaleno. I think I already said this, but you people probably won't like him.
> 
> The Arco group, excluding Luce because I don't know what she is, is basically three long/mid-range DPS, a tank, a close-range DPS and two offensive supports. A completely no healer group... not that they need it most of the time but you get it right? Also, I was going to have Lal and Colonello as partners and Verde with Luce... but uh, Verde is smart enough to not want constant exposure to Sky Flames. 
> 
> As for the Skull and Viper pair... I may or may not ship them--ehem, I mean, they would be good friends. The Reborn Fon pair was purely because having them irritated the entire time is fun...
> 
> ...these pairings do not count for bedroom sharing, just saying. *runs


	17. Chapter 17

The first mission that would last for a while was given to Shen Jiu because it suited his skill set the most. Qingfeng was to be backup in case anything happens and Shen himself is convinced that Luce simply wants him out of the way for a while so she could go and start Harmonizing with the others smoothly and without interruptions. It wasn't his problem, he could tell them the truth later on and whether they believed it or not was their choice.

It wasn't unlikely that they wouldn't believe, he thought. 

Shen Qingqiu reviewed the mission report again, floating leisurely into the city and covered in an invisibility illusion. He was to infiltrate the Oro famiglia and find out how they were pumping out so many Flame Actives, it was honestly something that could be done without the whole spy part.

What will happen will happen. If he decides the Oro deserves to continue living then he would take a short time but if they don't, then he would play with them for a while.

After a while of floating through the streets and mapping them in his mind, Shen Jiu turns to where the base of the Oro famiglia was. While normal people couldn't quite see through the seemingly normal house, he could see very clearly the resentful energy that stuck to it. Vengeful ghosts too, though they looked to be newly born and still had no idea what was happening. That was good, it meant that it was easier to persuade them to go to the afterlife even if that would take hundreds of times more effort than simply purging them...

Wait a moment, since when was he such a goodie-two-shoes? It was definitely because he had been spending too much time with Cherep.

(The wrongly blamed Cherep suddenly sneezed.)

Whatever. It was time he started polishing his persuasion skills. Shen Jiu approached a ghost and started talking to the thing that was happy that someone finally saw it. By the end of the talk, the ghost was happily off to the afterlife and Shen Qingqiu had a blue tear-shaped pendant shoved onto him.

By the time he finished the front yard, the sun was already setting.

(Many of those ghosts had rather familiar faces, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it yet. That... was probably because of the blood and bruises everywhere, though.)

Shen Jiu silently left, seeing the patrol teams start to spread out and start, well, patrolling. One of them called out, "Oi, you over there!"

He did not stop, knowing that they were not calling him but another person. Flame Active and... young, about ten years of age or so and a Rain. She looked and acted very listless, which was not what one would commonly use to describe a Flame--Rain--User or a child, much less an individual that was very much both. Shen Jiu himself wasn't listless, even after his parent's passing--mostly due to Xiu Ya and the Vindice.

The girl said nothing, glancing his way... no, at the pendant the first ghost had given him. That ghost had been the only one to give him a material object and it seemed like the object or rather, person that anchored the ghost to this world was this child. How... interesting. She inevitably left towards the Oro famiglia's base.

She was interesting, so he followed.

Xiu Ya had already been sent to the hotel he had supposedly checked into wearing an illusion, the others didn't know how to discern illusions through screens yet so it would be fine.

The inside of the Oro's base was rather normal, until reaching the basement. The basement seemed to have become some kind of prison but with doors and walls instead of bars. There were windows that looked into every room--filled with a two bunkbeds, a bedside table and a closet eqach--and each room seemed to hold three to four people, the Rain girl he was following entering the sixth door to the right and greeting her other two roommates--one who was snappish and seemed very angry and the other that didn't even answer, preferring to hide herself in the blankets. They seemed rather... familiar?

...right, weren't they two of the faces on the many, many lost posters in the city's billboard?

This city and the surrounding cities have had mass disappearances happening and many people had tried to spread rumors--was it a rumor if it was true--about it being the Oro famiglia's doing, but they were always suppressed.

As such, he had also linked it back and looked over every face on the "LOST" posters. Those ghosts too, they were probably the people who had been on that billboard which was why he found them familiar but couldn't quite pinpoint it... when put like this, it seemed that the Oro famiglia's actions were very obvious.

The girl he had followed took out a red-tear shaped pendant that looked to be the other half of the pendant in his hands.

The gems were rather odd, now that he thought about it. He himself was not an expert on gems but looking at how oddly bright the colors are, they were... not normal. It was apparently bed time though, because a mafioso tapped on their window and the three girls went to bed, although the angry girl was reluctant.

He conjured a paper and pen, writing on it and slipping it into the Rain girl's grip and leaving the blue pendant on the bedside table.

\--+=+0+=+--

"Yunque, you're going to burn through the floorboards at this rate." Luce sighs as she watched the Storm pace back and forth as if he was trying to wear through the floor and sink into the ground and onto the other half of the world. Something ugly reared its head in her heart and she wonders again why, why was it that even though she was the Sky, she was the one who was actually trying to get everyone to stick together as a team and not want to kill one another, why do they gather around Viper? He was clearly a Mist... or whatever he was, she didn't quite know. She was the Sky here.

It wasn't fair. Yunque was the one Viper trusted and invested the most emotions in, even though she did not know why. That was why, to make sure that the future she sees happen, she had to get to him first. 

"Qi--" Yunque starts but stops himself. "Viper is..."

"He will be fine. There is a reason he is Il Prescelti Sette's Mist, Yunque." It is a subtle thing, but her Flames try to wear down at least the edges of his volatile one. The same Storm Flames that go docile whenever Viper is near, as if he was afraid of accidentally hurting him.

So this was jealousy. 

It was an ugly, horrible feeling that she wished would go away. Viper too, was the Mist chosen and no matter what Checkerface said, that meant that he was also hers right?

...it didn't sound right.

It didn't sit right with her either, such a strong and willful person would never be chained down unwillingly. They didn't like each other, Luce would go as far as to say that in the future she saw, hated each other. He would never, ever want to or will be Harmonized to her.

And it was terrifying. 

If he knew the future like she did then would he choose to change them or do nothing at all? At least he wouldn't be like the her who was trying hard to achieve such a bleak future because she was afraid of going against these visions.

Luce was clairvoyant, not psychic.

\--+=+0+=+--

"Bring this with you! This way, you definitely have to come back and give it back to me, alright?!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say! I'll come back alive and we'll get out of this hell together."

"That better be a promise!"

...

"...they keep saying you've died. I don't believe it, when will you come back?"

...

"Hey, it's been months now, we have to remake the plan. They changed all the patrols and stuff because some of the others managed to escape. I'm waiting."

...

"Will you come back?"

...

"A year has passed, the guards realized I have your part. Hurry and come back!"

...the same dream again. How tiring, Reine thinks as she releases the iron grip she has on the red pendant in her grip and... a piece of paper? How, who and why? The sun hasn't risen yet and her roommates were still fast asleep, so she quickly turned on the light bulb and read the--very nicely written, it was one if not the most pretty handwriting she has ever seen--letter. The message was written plainly and simply. 

To check the bedside table she was willfully ignoring and meet someone if she wanted out of this hell. Reine wanted to ignore the last part, but if the first part was true...

...then her wait was ultimately useless. Knowing subconsciously and acknowledging such a thing was so different though and it hurt. They'd promised.

And the person waiting to talk to Reine dressed in a way that would definitely raise a lot of flags, but no one seems to notice the man(?). That would mean he was either a Mist, Sky or a regular sight to see around. Two of those were concerning, Reine didn't care.

The offer of the Oro famiglia's demise at her hands was far too tempting to ever pass up.

For her brother, not even the world's demise would be enough, but if that hell was all that she could offer then... he better forgive her.

In a short month that seemed to drag for years, the man that had helped awaken her Flames was on his knees and begging for mercy. Very good, beg for mercy like her parents did as he slowly bled them out, watching with glee as they finally awakened their Flames but couldn't help because it was too much--

Reine's first kill had been her mother.

Because she couldn't control her Flame output and directly Tranquilized her heart to the point it stopped moving. It didn't hurt as much now, but perhaps only god knew how much she wanted to die after realizing just what she had done. 

In two months, after Viper and a month after he had returned to the Il Prescelti Sette's residence, the Oro famiglia was destroyed, utterly decimated. Strangely enough, the Vindice hadn't made a fuss about this, it made people wonder if maybe the Vindice had been the ones that destroyed them but a list of the Oro famiglia's crimes had never been publicized. Another mafia famiglia had risen up and claimed the destruction of the Oro had been their doing and they were assisted by a mysterious man in a cloak. 

This was how the Fenice Famiglia was born.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luce may not be a good person, but she tries... in a way
> 
> OK so, I was thinking of how the plot in later chapters would go, when SJ!V joins the Varia and when Xanxus comes in the picture then I search up some things on the wikia and... Xanxus was 24 the entire time (exclude time travel nonsense)?! I knew he was young like in his twenties but not that he was 16 when Nono froze him!! Squalo's 22! Levi is 23 and Lussuria... 25... Bel I knew was 16, Fran's age was not disclosed so I assume he's like ten or something.
> 
> Sheesh, no wonder he has such a grudge against Nono. I do not blame his forever angry ways.
> 
> But I really, really want to write the Varia rn... ahhhh help
> 
> __  
The blade gleamed and Squalo looked up at him in shock. He, the Sword Emperor, was beat in his own game by someone who's main weapon wasn't even a sword?! 
> 
> Shen Qingqiu didn't particularly care about whatever was going through the brat's head at the moment. He flicked his fan open and Xiu Ya turned back into a snake that slithered up his sleeve. It would be very humiliating for the Superbi brat to not have his life taken and so he would let him taste this humiliation. 
> 
> Liu Qingge was not the type of person who would want revenge but would pay back his own debts ten times over. Shen Jiu would take care of the Varia but towards the man's killer...
> 
> ...it was a personal grudge of an Element that was considering Harmonization with a Sky.  
__
> 
> and now that I have written this, I feel like writing the aftermath of the Future Arc


	18. Chapter 18

Today, it was Viper's turn to teach him. Well, Viper technically had two days assigned instead of the other's one day because he had a secondary Cloud Flame and that apparently made him the most suitable teacher for him to practice Flame control. Cherep wondered just what it was that had gotten Viper so annoyed, before remembering that, weren't Yunque and Viper having some kind of one-sided cold war? Was that why?

He better stick to Luce more in case Viper turns that annoyance on him. The Mist was terrifying when needed.

"-and you have understood the way to propagate your healing factor. Good, dismissed." Viper was, as always, very curt with his words and Cherep left him alone. 

("Xiu Ya, stop that!" Shen Jiu hisses at the snake that was tangled in his hair. For revenge, apparently.)

\--+=+0+=+--

Floating through the streets with an illusion on, Shen Jiu leisurely plays with the young python Xiu Ya had turned into and turned left. He feels a fluctuation in the illusion and realizes that someone had figured it out and locks onto the person only to be bumped into, an envelope shoved into his hands. 

No one knew or realized it at that moment, but the man was now a decapitated corpse in the middle of the street. By the time someone did notice it, Shen Qingqiu had already long left the area. 

The fact that someone had broken one of his illusion, not even mentioning the fact that it was purely for the matter of not being stared at, was actually not very startling. Some people just had a talent for it. That someone was probably a mafioso who had seen this particular disguise before and recognized as him, Viper. If that was the case then he should start making new identities, though. Xiu Ya slithered up and coiled around his wrist, watching him open the envelope to two locks of hair--one green and one purple--and a written threat.

How nice. He recognized the handwriting.

Backstabbing was not uncommon in the mafia. It was about time for someone to have done it and decided to be yet another warning from him to the underground community as a whole, and yes he has calculated the average time of intervals between one betrayal and another.

This one famiglia was known for being delusional yet strong and he has taken several contracts to sell his information to them for a period of time. Maybe because they were once strong that they became delusional? In any case, it didn't matter.

They will die for touching the person he's protected for years and his temporary mentee.

Revenge that won't cross the laws that the Vindice had set... taking over for a short period of time before assigning higher-ups that are unsatisfied with the current management would be fine. 

Xiu Ya had long transformed into a sword in his hand and Shen Qingqiu opens a portal to their headquarters.

It is at this point of time that he realizes that he had grown to care for the others, if only at the most basic "won't let them die without good reason" stage. Shen Jiu did not need this right now, so he distracts himself for the moment with killing all the higher-ups that were conveniently in the same room having some kind of meeting when he had arrived. The first head falls and they start screaming. The second head, guns are finally taken out. Third head, still fiddling with the safety on their firearms. Fourth head, three are left and they start shooting inaccurately. Fifth head, they give up and start running towards the exit. Sixth and seventh, and he and Xiu Ya are the only ones left.

Xiu Ya turns back into a snake and cleans itself on the clothing of one of the men and Shen Jiu floats around, finding Verde and Cherep.

\--+=+0+=+--

Devi stares at the blonde idiot in front of her, watching with satisfaction as he slumps and admits, "Some guy told me to go here if I wanted to find you..."

This idiot... Devi smacks him over the head, not feeling angry but rather, furious. Colonello, what the idiot had just admitted to was that he willingly walked into this place, the location itself told to him by a stranger he wasn't sure was an enemy or ally, not even prepared just in case it was a trap of some sort. He had probably thought she was being held hostage or something and while the thought of it was admittedly flattering, she would never be someone who could be made a hostage. 

"Hundred laps around the field. Now!" She barks at him, feeling even angrier when he didn't dispute her and gave a salute before running. 

"Colonello was given this location by a stranger?" Luce's calm voice asked from behind her. Devi didn't even think about it before nodding, turning to face the only other woman in this residence. The heavily pregnant woman should not be walking around as much as she is, but she always insists on it. "Sit down."

Luce doesn't blink, instead setting herself down on the oddly placed picnic table while watching Colonello run. 

"Isn't it very romantic of him, though?" She asks, rubbing her stomach. Devi rolls her eyes. "It would be romantic. If he knew not to risk his life that is."

Because she did care about this student of hers, unfortunately. He just seemed to take that care as a romantic interest in him. If he or anyone ever asked why she felt no romantic inclinations to the blonde, it would be because he resembled a puppy too much. Too loyal, he would throw away his life without thinking if she simply asked him to do so. Devi could admit to wanting someone loyal, but no this kind of mindlessness. 

"...that stranger he talked about is our contractor isn't he?" Devi asked with a deliberately blank tone. Luce turns her smile to her and the knowing tilt to its is as unnerving as ever. "I believe he was, yes."

"And? His intentions? 'Nello is obviously not one of Il Prescelti Sette so why is he here?" It was far too dangerous. No one here had the same attachments towards him as she did and they were not compelled to not kill him because of the contract, if he so much as angered one of them too much...

Viper could still be reasoned with. Yunque is a wild card and Renato will likely... er, nevermind, he was also a wild card. Verde could be coaxed with being allowed to research some of their abilities...

Cherep was harmless. 

Luce smiled unnervingly and didn't reply.

\--+=+0+=+--

"I will kindly ask once again, the locations of the Flame conductor metals veins." The man spluttered and finally gave in, telling him only some of them. Yunque let him go, sure that Xuan Su would take good care of him and turned to the other five people, sighing. 

This was going to be tiring. 

He had been given the mission of finding out where the Flame conducting metals have been coming from in this famiglia. They had been monopolizing it for quite a while and it was about time that someone put them in their place, it just happened that their contractor thought to give this job to them. Renato was probably causing chaos at their headquarters right about now. Yue wondered about what Viper was doing right now, was he training? Probably.

Most likely, Qingqiu should be cultivating. He was very close to Nascent Soul, the Yue Qingyuan who didn't think to cultivate in this life thought. 

Cultivation, in his past life, was a means to an end for him. 

If one cultivated then they would be strong. If one became strong then they could do whatever they wanted and all Yue Qi wanted back hen was to care for Shen Jiu and make sure he was safe and happy. But... despite being the most powerful cultivator, the leader of the most powerful sect, Yue Qingyuan had not been able to give Shen Qingqiu what he wanted. Instead, he had given him misery.

Xuan Su said it was irrational, this guilt.

It may be, but that won't stop him from acting on it. 

\--+=+0+=+--

"-and theoretically, if this rune were added on the northmost position..." Shen Jiu mutters to himself, sketching a formation and reviewing every formation he has ever known and sketched out to see if he had gotten the correct match. His shidi on the Formation Peak was very generous in putting his findings in Qing Jing's archives and Shen Qingqiu would not be Shen Qingqiu if he had not read every single thing inside those archives several times over--to remember even if he did not understand.

It was proving to be very, very useful in the sense of making a formation that would dispel curses. Whatever curse it was and seeing as the baby body part was just absolutely ridiculous and was probably... it probably had some kind of function but Shen Qingqiu was NOT going to be stuck in a baby's body. Not when he was still an adult.

No, the time when he was just born into this world did not count. 

"It should be done by now," Xiu Ya seems impressed, flicking its tongue at the sketched formation and how it glowed ever so slightly when Qingqiu fed it enough spiritual energy to check if it was active but not activate it.

Now, all he had to do was find a cursed item. 

Ah, right, didn't he have that job a while ago to find out whether a mansion was haunted or not and it turned out that it really was haunted but apparently his employer had wanted it to be haunted or some kind of weird sh*t like that? Perhaps he could go in there and try the formation on some random thing... after confirming it really was cursed.

The curse that Checkerface had put on the Arcobaleno, the details were actually very foggy. Half of the Vindice only remembered going to a place and a bright light suddenly being there and the other half remember Checkerface showing up and a sudden bright light... and so the only thing he knew about the curse was that when it was cast, a bright light would either follow or is the curse itself. It may not even be that important and could simply be an illusion to cover up the actual curse so Shen Qingqiu did not have a lot of space to work here. 

If he had known that he would be involved in this kind of bull then he would have studied curses thoroughly in the past life. Honestly...

...now, he should probably tell them soon that Luce was actually lying to them. 

Soon. Perhaps when they were all more settled down and trusted him more because unfortunately for Shen Qingqiu, Mists have a notorious reputation for being treacherous. Considering that they mainly used illusions... yeah, some things may not be unfounded at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started this, I couldn't wait to write the Arco chapters. When I'm writing the Arco chapters, I start wanting to write the Varia chapters. Is this something others also feel or is it just me?
> 
> As I write this, I am also writing the Poly!Arco extra and the difference between the two is... jarring. To say the least of it. Like srsly, now I have the urge to make everyone softer to one another before remembering that it is not the extra and I have a fixed plan for the Arco stop it please brain my heart won't be able to take it.
> 
> By the way, did you notice the series I put this work in? Yeah, it has a new addition that is the Poly!Arco extra. It doesn't have any spoilers of what I want to do in this fic so. If you're into reading a... way too long first chapter and my attempt at polyamory (meaning really bad) fic then go ahead ^^
> 
> ...suddenly I want to write Varia fluff.
> 
> And I just realized that I have no idea where the "Arco spent thirty years being babies" headcanon came from or why I believe it so much... hehehe. Unfortunately, I oly realized this recently and Nono isn't Nono yet so I'll have to stick to the thirty year thing.


	19. Chapter 19

Luce is giving birth. Yunque paces the halls of the Giglio Nero mansion irritably, Storm Flames simmering under his skin and urging him to go back to his Sky's side and take care of her. A lot of the others were in similar situations and Renato and Yunque shared a moment.

Xiao Jiu does not seem very worried. Then again, he had some kind of animosity with either Skies or Luce herself.

It was probably the very idea of being bound to a Sky that he hated. Probably. He isn't very well-versed with the current Xiao Jiu and Xiao Jiu himself wouldn't like it. Besides, its not like its a rule that he had to Harmonize with Luce. Yunque didn't actually Harmonize with Luce. Hasn't. He didn't want to do it in a slight fear of Shen Qingqiu disdaining him for having done such a thing. 

"What if something goes wrong...?" Cherep asks quietly, huddling in his seat. 

"Don't say that, you'll jinx it!" Colonello hisses at him while Devi rolls her eyes. Yunque's mouth twitched and he asks Renato, the only other one who looked restless, "Do you want to spar?"

By the time they come back, a nurse finally comes out and announces a safe delivery.

\--+=+0+=+--

"Just what are you thinking?" Xiu Ya asks, coiling comfortably on top of his head. Shen Qingqiu resists the urge to roll his eyes and simply starts to untangle the snake from his hair. Again. "They probably won't believe me. That's fine, they can have their Harmony and I can have my reality."

Xiu Ya is silent for a moment before saying, "You'll be hurt."

"The sun is particularly beautiful today." Qingqiu responds as he stares at the setting sun. Yunque was coming over like usual and Qingqiu almost wished that he did not know about this.

"Oi, stay on track."

"Don't you think so too?"

"Xiao Qingqiu!"

"Yes?" Shen Jiu answered with the most innocent voice he could. Xiu Ya hissed and tightened around his hand a tad, seeming slightly angry. "Can't you be heartless with them?"

...Xiu Ya didn't understand. That was fine, Shen Jiu himself was not betting on its understanding, but it would be frankly bad if the sword-turned-snake didn't understand because the two were partners. Partners are supposd to understand and trust each other right? At least, that is what he has learned. 

In the Flame Community, there is a thing called Sets. It is somewhat rare--mafia and trust issues--and the general explanation for it is if two or more non-Harmonized Elements are compatible with each other, they can Harmonize despite neither being Skies, therefore if a Sky Harmonizes with one of them, said Sky will also Harmonize with the others of the Set. The Il Prescelti Sette method, or what he has heard and seen of it, has always been a very compatible Set of Elements because apparently the strongest are always compatible. It is unknown how Checkerface decides them because he has recently shown that personal strength of combat prowess isn't a deciding factor.

Several examples of the phenomena that is a Set would be Bermuda and Jaeger, Big Gia and Small Pino and even Wuxian and Qionglin. Devi and Colonello are also a Set, despite the fact that they are both Rains.

In other words, Shen Qingqiu finds himself very compatible with everyone else. If they ever decide to Harmonize with Luce though...

He could not let that happen. Him Harmonizing with Luce and the eventual Discord that will come from it. 

And so, if Shen Qingqiu were to be honest, then the entire telling them about the Curse and everything is to alienate him from them, the apparent "fact" that Mists are treacherous will help. He isn't an idiot. Even if the current identity of Viper dies, he as a Mist Arcobaleno can't die.

(And so, if Shen Qingqiu were to be honest, he wanted them to believe in him. He wasn't an idiot though, that wouldn't happen if they were close to Luce.)

The only thing that Shen needed to do was survive until he is cursed, remove some aspects of said curse through the array he had been working on and make a new identity. He could even use the identity of "Viper" again if he wanted because he hasn't passed the teachings down to anyone and had no intentions of doing so. Start over because it was easy if one is an information broker and/or illusionist.

Joining a Famiglia is debatable, however. 

As an Arcobaleno, he... had to do some things that will decrease his power by a lot. That included sealing a lot of his cultivation because a baby's body isn't able to handle the sheer amount of spiritual energy he does now. His Flames too, will be continuously sucked in by the pacifier. 

"Xiao Qingqiu?"

"...you know." He does not respond again because Yunque sits down next to him. Xiu Ya did know, he just didn't like the plan because Shen has gotten attached whether he wanted to admit it or not.

He could admit that he has gotten too attached then what should be. 

The sun finally sets completely and Yunque asks, "Why do you not like Luce?"

Ah. Here it goes. This finally starts and it is... almost a year since Il Prescelti Sette has gathered. He only had to live another year.

In any case, the reason he's come to this world has already been done. After Shen Qingqiu is finished with the Arcobaleno thing then he can simply leave. That time should also be adequate for him to pry the truth of why Yue Qingyuan didn't come back for him and if he never gets it then Qingqiu could simply invade his mind and see it for himself...

...this is what he thinks and what he intends, but emotions made it impossible. 

Xiu Ya is right. Maybe he should just become a Cloud.

"I am not obligated to like her." He tells Yunque instead. It is true though, he isn't obligated to like her because she is also one of Il Prescelti Sette or is he obligated like her because she's a Sky. Yunque looks slightly guilty. "But she hasn't done anything?"

"Exactly." She can see the future and Shen Qingqiu knew about their future. Between the two, neither were better but...

"Xia--Viper. What do you mean?" the one thing that Shen would always readily admit is this, Qi-ge will always be an exception for him. But his plan... "We're going to be cursed in the future and Luce is trying to help that goal."

It is absolutely absurd and ah, there it is. 

Yue Qingyuan had the same reaction when Shen Qingqiu had claimed not killing Liu Qingge. He was familiar with it and no, what are you talking about Xiu Ya, he did not feel disappointed at all! So then, what is this feeling and why is his heart hurting so much? Clearly he needed to study about emotions more, maybe Verde could help him with that. "Qingqiu-shidi, its fine if you don't like her but..."

But don't slander her? But don't tell the truth? 

"I'm leaving." Shen Jiu stands up and puts the tea pot and cup away, going to get a sword to train with. Xiu Ya hissed at Yunque and lay its head on his in a comforting gesture.

If he does not believe then its fine. Completely fine.

Because he can make real illusions. Therefore even if he is not fine, then he can make the illusion that it is fine and realize it.

\--+=+0+=+--

Her daughter is a tiny, fragile thing. Luce coos down at the sleeping baby, savoring the sight. Sooner or later, she would not be able to look at her like this...

The door opens and Viper comes in. 

That is rare. Why is he here? He sits down on one of the chairs that are now probably glued onto the floor around her bed and simply stares. Luce smiles back at him, not bothering to try and reach out to him with her Flames anymore. It would be a lost cause, after all. "Looks like I lost this time."

"You lost a long time ago." She responds, cradling Aria to her chest. Viper wouldn't touch her, the visions confirmed that.

He'd lost the moment he decided to go against her. 

Because she has her visions and the will to go through with it for the world's sake. Viper only knew what will happen, not the specifics and did not give a flying f*ck for this world. At most, he would be angry for Yunque's sake... speaking of, she still has no idea how they are connected despite her visions. Just that the two are deeply intertwined and will always bring misery to one another despite their actual feelings. Quite the tragedy, she had had thoughts of trying to resolve it but if it interferes with making the two of them Arcobaleno, then that would be bad.

Therefore she will not try to resolve it for them.

"Then my plans are also known?" Luce smiled brightly at the not-quite-Mist again and answered, "Yes, if I even know what happens to all of you after the Curse then why shouldn't I have figured out your plans? It will bring them a lot of grief, did you know?"

And Viper knows that she holds resentment for that. For causing grief to the people she claimed as Hers.

He doesn't know how hard it was to watch them scramble all around to look for him. 

"If you know what happens after the Curse then why aren't you trying to stop your oh-so-beloved ones from being cursed?" He asks back and she immediately replies, "For the sake of the world and its continued existence."

"You would choose the world over your Elements and family..." He seems slightly sad. How could Luce feel any pity though, especially when she knew the future that is going to happen and how he will find a Sky himself? Viper does not care about the world and if it burns but she does and... it's unfair.

Why is Luce hated for simply wanting the best for the world? What has she done so wrong with that?

One would think that there was something wrong with her! That she had done something unforgivable and should forever be hated for simply wanting the world to continue, exactly what has she done wrong? 

Viper did not understand, he did not have the right to say that to her. He did not have the right to say that to her when Luce has long accepted that she is forever going to be hated by the people she called Hers. Her own Elements will hate her. Her Elements. Will hate her. Which Sky would want their Elements to hate them? Her child will carry a burden and die young, her own child...

But its for the world. 

Isn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aria has arrived! The Arco chapters will come to a close soon...! Hopefully, that is. The angst is about to arrive too, ahh I almost don't want to write it.
> 
> No, I am not going to make Luce give birth to a baby while she herself is a baby.
> 
> Yes, Shen has developed another unhealthy coping mechanism in the form of illusions and making them real.
> 
> I did want to make Luce seem more human but I never expected to write that... now looking at it, it seems more realistic though. For the world, she sacrifices herself and the people she loves but is still doubtful. Is this truly the best thing to do? Could she do something else but ensure the Arcobaleno stay?
> 
> Anyways, stay safe everyone!


	20. Chapter 20

"Noo, Xiao Qingqiu you're evil!!" Xiu Ya yelled into their mental link. Shen Qingqiu suppressed a smirk, continuing to slowly rub the snake's underside. "Stop! Ahhh, this is torture! I'm just an innocent snake!"

"This is what you get for getting tangled in my hair before turning into a sword!!" That incident happened during a mission too, the sword luckily hadn't directly pierced his head but instead cut his hair and now it is a complete mess! He had to cut his hair to an acceptable hairstyle and wait until it grows out now... the other's reactions when Xiu Ya did that were very amusing, especially when Yunque had shouted and immediately worried. Serves the idiot right for not remembering who he is and trusting some woman over him! Still, "Don't ever do that again!"

Someday, he should use that mind-reading spell and see what goes through his thoughts.

In any case, the plan to alienate himself should be done soon. After the current mission that is break into this government facility and destroy it from the inside out. It would be easy if they just let him do things but no, it has to be a group mission to bond or some kind of weird bull like that. 

The worst part is that everyone knew if they left it to literally anyone except Cherep then it would be done within a week or so but agree to it wholeheartedly.

Ugh. Skies.

The internal debate he had of joining a Famiglia after being cursed is leaning heavily to NO, purely because he did not want a Sky. Doesn't everyone equate Sky Flames to home? Too bad, his home is in the apartment his parents left him! Bermuda had also said something about being Sky Drunk and there will be no one who sees him drunk, not in a million years. Alcohol is purely for the idiots who think that they're so pitiful and reality is too much.

He's dealt with reality without alcohol nearly his entire last life, if they can claim to be more pitiful than the past life's him then he will concede.

"XIAO QINGQIUUUUUU!" Xiu Ya is still being slowly rubbed on the stomach, the human equivalent of doing that would be called tickling. "Xiao Qingqiu stop I swear I won't do that ever again please stop ahhhhh! Wahh, this is bullying, you're bullying this sweet cute innocent snake--"

"Where did you learn to talk like this?!"

"Xuan Su!"

"Yue! Qing! Yuan! Your monkey is corrupting my snake!"

"Something sounds wrong with that statement... ahh, no!"

(All the while, Yunque watches as the snake is rubbed and tightens around Viper's hand more. The two looked so peaceful... ignorance is bliss, some people say.)

Luce asks from the screen she was on through a call, "Viper, are you able to make illusions that can fool machines?" And just who does she think he is? Of course he could! Perhaps his stare was enough answer because she nods and continues, "I was able to get enough spots for all of you as security guards. Please choose a name and appearance so we can get your identity cards ready immediately..."

"Security guards?" Verde asks with a frown. "Do I, or Cherep for that matter, look like we can do anything security guard-like?"

...Shen Qingqiu will be tactful this time and not mention just how packed with defensive measures Verde is. Cherep is a very imaginative Cloud too, he would likely take inspiration from those fictional picture books of his. But it really is true, Verde would likely just stand by and instead observe intruders and Cherep is nothing subtle. Meaning he will be the idiot who dies first.

Thinking it over, why should he not say what he wants? So Shen Jiu repeats his thought just now.

"Viper!" Cherep has the gall to look affronted. "Do you not have any faith in me?!"

"No. Not the you right now."

"What does that mean?!"

"Ruthless... kora," Colonello who lost a bet and had to add kora to the end of his sentences for three months murmured. Shen Qingqiu gave up and rolled his eyes at the both of them, though they couldn't tell he was behind his hood. And illusion. And fan... alright maybe Xiu Ya and Bermuda were onto something when they said that he placed way too many barriers but he couldn't help it! The fan was to remember his past life, the hood is because he had gotten used to it after Bermuda gave him his first cloak and the illusion is to have a constant reminder and alarm if there are any Flame Restraints on his person or around him... maybe he was a little too paranoid?

Then Shen Jiu looks up and sees a smiling Luce and strikes down the thought of being too paranoid with a vengeance. When the only Sky he had close contact to at the moment is a madwoman and seer, there is nothing such as being too paranoid!

"Viper, the disguises..." Right, immediately Shen Jiu and cast an illusion on all of them, making them seem completely inconspicuous and average. When it comes the time for them to actually get into their disguise he would use Ouroboros, though it is a more extreme measure, it should be fine to make sure that he doesn't accidentally let go of the illusion when not paying attention.

Of course, Renato is the first to ask for adjustments. Black spiky hair, curly sideburns... by the end of it, he looked as if he had no illusion on at all... Shen Jiu did not know he was that narcissistic. So, "How about I make you a female?"

He snorts, "Sure."

After all, in this age filled with sexist bastards, they would never expect a man to want to dress as a woman. 

"Hey! What if we all dressed the opposite gender?" Cherep suddenly asked and Shen Jiu wondered, "Wouldn't it look like a harem?" because Devi would be the only male... said Rain shrugged, "Guess 'Nello will be the main female lead."

The mentioned female lead immediately sprouted imaginary dog ears and tail and looked up at Devi--or Lal as he calls her--with shining eyes. Devi rolls her eyes, flicking Colonello on the forehead. "In any case, my disguise is fine as it is. I have no intentions of being a romance novel protagonist."

Xiu Ya is now a young python, slithering on his cloak. 

Yunque seems perfectly fine with his disguise, good. Verde has no such complaints either and is unlikely to have any unless it is detrimental to his research and Cherep is likely too scared to have any complaints about it. Colonello seemed fine with his too...

Shen Jiu wondered, then modified the illusion on himself just a little bit.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Viper, please handle the budgeting this time again!" Qingqiu rolled his eyes again. Being all-rounded sure is a pain when you are in a group of muscleheads... then again, it is still better then letting someone like Renato handle it, he would finish it in an instant.

"About the names," Cherep suddenly looks excited and asks, "why don't we write want we want the other's names to be and put them in a hat or something, like a lottery! Doesn't that sound fun? Come on!" Inwardly Shen Qingqiu is already assigning names to everyone. Yunque is obviously Yue Qingyuan, Devi would be Qi Qingqi, Cherep would be Shang Qinghua, Marzio would be... which of his shidi could be a mad scientist? Mu Qingfang when he finds some new medicine combination. Renato... which of his shidi was narcissistic, arrogant and kills people for a living... none. Huh. Shen Jiu'll think of something for him. Colonello too... ah! He could be Ming Fan!

Luce? Luce isn't participating in this mission, she just gave birth remember!

"No." Verde is the one to reject Cherep this time. Which, fair, not everyone would be so kind as to not give a humiliating name. He continues, looking as if he had a headache from the suggestion alone. "I am not going to use a name you people choose."

"But what's so wrong about it?!" 

"Everything!" 

At this point Shen Jiu zones out the conversation and picks Xiu Ya up, rubbing its underside once again and taking amusement from its pleading for mercy. This time, it was purely for his own entertainment rather than revenge and Xiu Ya wriggles around as if it was on a hot pan. "Xiao Qingqiu you! Are evil!"

"When have I ever not?" Qingqiu replies with a roll of his eyes. "Since you know that, why did you still go to me?"

"Ahh, I'm telling on you!!"

"Go ahead." It was probably talking about Xuan Su but if Yue Qingyuan the coward didn't dare actually do anything to him then his sword also would not dare to. Though it is debatable, considering that the sword-turned-monkey was gutsy enough to pull on his master's hair and be very mischievous, up to stealing Xiu Ya away sometimes. How their relationship of a monkey and a snake worked, Shen Qingqiu did not know and frankly did not want to know.

But by the end of their role assigning and mission debriefing, Verde walked up to him with that look that said he was curious about how the ever loving f*ck something was working because it broke the laws of physics or something. In short, it was the same look he gave Shen Jiu when promising a favor for the basic mechanics of how he floated. Having the so called "second Da Vinci" in debt is a very good thing though.

To be frank, it was basically using Mist to trick gravity into working a certain way. The Lightning had looked very enlightened at that revelation and had to be dragged out to eat that day. 

"I'm willing to pay, what is the connection between Il Prescelti Sette and Arcobaleno?" He had asked lowly as soon as out of hearing range from the others. It is unsurprising that he got to that conclusion, considering the many, many hints Shen Qingqiu had left dangling in front of him. 

The prime hint had been talking about the Arcobaleno, in other words, talking about the legend of the mafia and how they are described. Il Prescelti Sette had been chosen by strength and the Arcobaleno are the seven strongest babies based on Flame types... moreover, Verde had seen enough "Mist f*ckery" as he calls it to take some weird things into consideration. 

"It is exactly what you think. Il Prescelti Sette will become Arcobaleno by being cursed, most of Il Prescelti Sette in history were Harmonized Sets." Harmonized Sets, meaning Sets that Harmonized with a Sky. 

Sky, Luce, seer. In other words, Luce knows and hasn't said anything.

The same Luce who has been trying to Harmonize with everyone. 

Verde cursed under his breath, but then brightened up, "How does the curse work?" And of course that is the first thing he asks. If Shen Qingqiu remembered clearly, Verde had never shown any signs of wanting to Harmonize. If he did then it would be for observation and Qingqiu suddenly feels pity for whichever Sky Verde will eventually trick into Harmonizing with him. That bond will undoubtedly be tested on over and over.

But... he wonders inwardly, whatever happened to Verde's parents again? Oh yeah, Shen Jiu almost forgot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bit about snakes being tickled when someone rubs their underbelly is just based on me doing that to my snake and seeing that it has the jerk knee reaction as everyone does when they are tickled, that is immediately moving away. It is adorable, 100% recommended
> 
> And one and only mission being detailed! This may or may not be saying that the Arco arc is going to end... kinda sad, I don't think I did a very good job with it.


	21. Chapter 21

Shen Jiu stared blankly at the idiot that was his roommate--how? Shen's current disguise is a female and he thought gender segregation was very distinct in the government, the sexist bastards they all were, but apparently not--and turned away, instead unpacking his belongings. Or, the belongings he had brought and were in line with the background he had made for himself. Yunque looked unapologetic and it was already getting on his nerves.

The uniform is uncomfortable. Too tight, itchy, too complicated. He misses his usual outfit... ah, right. Couldn't Shen Qingqiu just use his usual outfit and then make another illusion where he is wearing the uniform? Right, that could work.

This is a government base too, that means that there is no need for strong illusions. 

But Shen Qingqiu couldn't bring his fan everywhere anymore. Damn. Xiu Ya too, is obediently staying hidden outside the base and told him earlier that it had just ate and won't move for day or so. Meaning Mist Flames, the gun he had been given and Night Flames as a last resort. Not that he would need anything other than the former two. Shen Jiu may not specialize in guns but he wasn't stupid enough to not study them. Besides that, there is nothing in this base--except for their group--that had a threat level high enough to be able to hurt him.

Qingqiu is, after all, about to breakthrough to Nascent Soul.

"We are to report for duty this evening." Yunque tries, "What do you want to do?"

"Memorize the internal layout, obviously." Because while pictures and blueprints are useful, nothing is more useful than being able to memorize something up and personally. "Figure out the main patrols blind spots." Even though he had no need for it, considering that invisibility is one of the intermediate illusions that any illusionist worth their salt can cast.

Yunque looks idiotically happy. What did he do this time?

Ugh. "What time?"

"Seven," he replies. Its five now, two hours is perfect. Then, "Can I go with you?"

Shen Qingqiu still hasn't forgiven the idiot for believing in Luce more than him but he nods anyway. Yue Qingyuan has always been like this, or rather, their relationship has been like this ever since he got to Cang Qiong. The idiot would mess up, get him angry, sometimes apologize, sometimes try to lecture him on what he and the rest of the world thinks is right, somehow get over it himself and start the cycle over again.

He misses Qi-ge. Qi-ge always trusts him without question, even though his heart is too soft and kind. Qi-ge who would take care of him and listen to him no matter what. Yue Qingyuan is a twisted mosaic of Qi-ge. 

Then again, Shen Qingqiu isn't Xiao Jiu. Hasn't been in a long time. Maybe he was just being delusional in wanting to find Qi-ge or being found--

...none of that mattered here, did it? Stupid Qingqiu, didn't you promise to live this life for yourself?

That's right. He would proceed with the plan to alienate himself from the rest of Il Prescelti Sette, become an Arcobaleno, use the array he made to remove the baby aspect of the curse... then he would be free to do what he wanted. Until the eventual fight to choose the next generation of Arcobaleno.

If Shen Qingqiu so wanted, he could simply try at being a civilian. Bermuda would nag at him to pass down the teachings of "Viper" though, so he could entrust them to someone... Yuda, maybe? In any case, even though he is curious, Shen Jiu has no inclinations to find out why Yue Qi had not come back for him. It's funny, how something that he can easily find out now by invading Yunque's mind would have been something he, in the last life, would have died for.

"I won't wait for you," He throws at Yunque and means it two ways. 

"Shen Qingqiu" will no longer wait for something that will likely never come. "Viper" will not wait for something that has nothing to do with him. Yunque takes it literally and hurries to his side.

This is fine too.

The government base is relatively average, with a storage for firearms and explosives, higher brass muttering about themselves about their plans to move against this or that mafia famiglia or vigilante gang. That is good, he had just gained more information and even though Il Prescelti Sette treats him like a jack-of-all-trades, Shen Qingqiu specializes as an information broker and illusionist.

Honestly, they were all idiots... what are you talking about Xiu Ya, I am not fond of them. At all... no this is a lie, this mission better end quickly and future him better have the nerves to proceed with alienating himself.

...he better be able to do it.

Shen Qingqiu fixed a serious look on his face and walks with his back straight, gaining some looks from the older employees of the government base. Yunque is beside her and smiling very eerily, probably scaring them away and that's good. He didn't want them salivating over a female disguise, after all.

Though it would be funny if he ever lets them know he was a male the entire time and watch them deal with all the homophobia.

"Yo, you guys!" Cherep in his disguise waves to them, he for some reason chose to disguise as a woman, saying that he wanted to know what it was like. Shen Qingqiu, who regularly disguises as a female, could somewhat understand in that the female human race are not as scummy as the male human race. It--helps, sometimes. Sometimes because he knew exactly why and how the trick works. That is, subconsciously (and consciously) seeing women as people who never harmed him--Luce does not count--at least intentionally and are therefore are "not scum" and seeing oneself as a girl, meaning "not scum". 

Though the effect is cut off by a lot considering that he knew it was a trick.

Or maybe he was overthinking it and Cherep is simply looking for new experiences. 

Yunque steps closer to him, looking very irritated for whatever reason and Cherep shrinks back at the bright smile directed at him. The Cloud nervously laughs, "Uh, sorry for interrupting you two's walk, sorrybye--!" and promptly runs off. 

...what?

But then Yunque looks a thousand times less irritated and Shen Qingqiu shrugs it off, hoping that such an action will not come to bite him in the ass in the future. But why did Cherep call their scope-out a walk? This, shamefully, takes a moment for him to realize but he does. Cherep is raised a civilian and therefore has the mind set of a civilian. Of course he would think they were going on a walk. The Cloud needs to be taught more. Luce is in charge of general mafia, what is she doing?

(In reality, their teaching sessions always devolve into "why a certain someone is how they are" or "how long do you think someone will remain oblivious to someone else's crush on them" or other similar things.)

Besides that, Shen Jiu doesn't know why a walk would make him leave? Don't civilians like to stick together?

He will never understand others, it seems.

By the time they finish getting a general outline of the internal settings not recorded in the blueprints. The time had ticked forward to fifteen minutes before they were supposed to report to duty for the first time. It's odd, he has never been on any government at all and is now infiltrating a base.

Is it really all that interesting? There are weird rules.

The ten new recruits--yes, ten, because if it were just the seven of them and one of them mess up and have to frame someone else, who would they frame? Also because seven is a much too obvious number. The three others are simply "normal" people--stood in front of their newly appointed superior, who is likely a pervert if the way he kept scanning Renato's disguise has something to say, the fact that the Sun is smug about looking "hot" as a female as well as male does not help. What does this "hot" even mean? Did he get a fever or is it because of his Flames that he's hot?

Yunque keeps trying to cover his eyes whenever he looks at females for too long though and pissing him off is fun because the idiot doesn't dare do anything to him. Damnit, does he think that Shen Qingqiu is interested in females either romantically or sexually? Right, that charge has not been cleared--none of his charges have ever been cleared and Shen is completely fine with letting them assume.

Thinking about it like that, maybe he should have at least tried? But he did, with Liu Qingge's case, and nobody believed him anyway. Meaning it would be useless even if he tried.

Such a feeling is awful, Shen decides to ignore it.

Their current superior talks and continues to talk about duty and honor to the law and military and all that bullsh*t. By the end of it, he finally puts them in two groups and giving them their patrol schedules as well as other duties, including guarding some kind of precious commodity until it reaches the underground floors. They will immediately leave after their duties are done.

Meaning, there is something happening down there and Shen will find out immediately.

The groups are bad, too unbalanced. Devi, Verde and Cherep as well as two of the other people are in one while he, Yunque, Renato, Colonello and the other he learned the name of is *Anna--who is a male, despite the name.

Anna greets his new team with a bright smile and enthusiastic attitude and Shen wonders just how long the man will survive this world if he is like this. He and Colonello expectedly get along very well and he seems to take Qingqiu's cold attitude as a challenge to get under his skin. It isn't.

When they eventually betray this base, he, too, will be implicated and executed for being in the same team. Does Colonello not know that he's giving Anna a death sentence?

...Cherep must be getting to him too much, Shen Qingqiu thinks to himself. For him to think about other people's circumstances...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Anna is an actual male name in Italy apparently. Yes I have to search up names and when I saw that I just had to use it.
> 
> Soo how was it?


	22. Chapter 22

"So we have found out that this is yet another trial test of the government to see what is it that makes the higher ups of the mafia so hard to kill--" Verde summarizes but is cut off by Cherep asking, "Simplify that please."

"They want to find out how to get Dying Will Flames and are experimenting on people." in other words they decided to do illegal things in the basement and thought that since said illegal doings are under a government base then no one would ever suspect it existing. Surprise, surprise, such a thing has been done so many times in the past that it's a wonder why they still think like that. Or maybe Shen is missing something.

Honestly, Qingqiu feels a little pity for the civilians who are caught in the crossfire between the government and the mafia--which itself has famiglia-s and often conflict with each other.

The people being experimented on are the ones with nothing else to lose and actually gain something by volunteering, being able to actually eat three times a day, having a roof over their heads, not having to fight with others... Meaning that even if they die, none of the researchers or scientists down there will ever find out about Dying Will Flames and therefore the Vindice don't have any actual reason to interfere.

It would be a very different story if the participants were unwilling.

Moreover, why is Cherep looking so scandalized? Did he miss a morality thing the civilians have again? Damn, Shen Jiu needed to learn how to fake it again if he did. "Human experimentation?!"

Renato doesn't miss a beat when he replies, "Is a very common thing that happens and is done by both mafia and government. Some vigilante groups do it too." 

"Is it that bad? The experiments we are talking about here are willing volunteers." Shen Qingqiu asks.

"But-but doing that on other people--"

"Would it be better on animals?"

"NO!" Cherep is looking more and more disgusted and angry by the moment and Shen Jiu has to adjust the shared dreamscape they were in so it doesn't collapse from his Cloud Flames. Yes, they are in a dreamscape and how it works is actually very simple, simply put he manipulates their dreams and let the real time responses set what they're doing in the other's dreams. Other than looking for time in between patrols that overlap or making illusions of all of them, this is another suitably challenging thing to do and he has not practiced it in a while now.

If Shen Qingqiu is not allowed to get outside and practice his martial arts then they will be unable to stop him from practicing the Mist techniques he has. 

What was most odd is that his Cloud Flames are still as strong as his Mist Flames even though he uses Mist more.

Shen blinks and fixes the flaw in the corner of the room in Colonello's part. Cherep is still ranting on about how experimentation is wrong but if neither human nor animal experimentation has been done then the world would be suffering way more than it is now. The only thing he could agree with is that excessive cruelty is the bad part.

The moment this government base is destroyed by the seven of them, the volunteers will have nowhere to go at best. At worst, they will be silenced, permanently. Everyone else seemed to have realized this and decided unanimously not to tell the Cloud lest he goes against their mission. It would be bad, at this point of time. No, Shen Jiu did not in fact care about the employees working at the base or the volunteers.

If Shen Qingqiu cared then he would have gone against Luce's wishes and dismantled the base in one night, then give the jobless and homeless people a building so they can make another base or something. He could do that, but he didn't want to. It would be too much of a hassle and will backfire on Il Prescelti Sette eventually.

Is it cruel? Shen can admit that it probably was, but all he felt is indifference towards them.

"-come on!" Yunque seemed very considering but his smile is similar to the one he uses normally so he seems completely unbothered. Thinking about that, Yue Qi has a hero complex, could it be that he still has it now? Was it not resolved by his death by said hero complex and the beast? Cherep's expression was showing very clearly that he was feeling disappointed that they didn't share his sense of justice or morals but what did he know?

This may not be the mafia, but the government is just as filled with humans as the mafia is.

In any case, at least neither things are filled with demons. Ugh, disgusting beasts they are.

"Who wants to be the one who takes something that looks important from the laboratories down there?" Shen Qingqiu asks instead. "This is getting nowhere and some people still want to sleep." This some people was referring to himself because Shen is currently not asleep but coordinating their meeting while everyone is asleep and seeing each other in their dreams. Damnit why is he the Mist of this ridiculous group? Couldn't he be Cloud or something and the Mist be someone else? Cherep wouldn't have had to get involved too. Yunque snaps to attention and tells him, "I'll do it, the next supply delivery is our team's turn, isn't it?"

Everyone is dismissed and given nonsensical dreams of a world made of sweets and Shen opens his eyes to see an awake and concerned Yunque. Right. They are roommates right now. 

...Shen Jiu barely remembers the last time he shared a room with someone other than Xiu Ya...who is a snake.

The Storm looks at him oddly before smiling and saying, "Just like old times huh?" and suddenly Qingqiu wants to slap him. Just like old times, Yue is referring to the time when they were both slaves and relied on each other the most. How dare he. He is not the Qi-ge of back then. Shen Jiu snorts and turns away.

"...Xiao Jiu?"

"What is it?" Shen Qingqiu asks, rather unhappy. Can't the idiot see he wanted to sleep? "That... are you happy here?"

'Are you happy in this world? Without me.' Perhaps the more important part was that Yunque felt that Shen was happy without him and just who does he think he is? Yue Qingyuan may have been Shen Qingqiu's everything but he is merely Vermont's teammate. Irritation flared within him again and Shen Jiu instead sighed and told him, "Go to sleep."

After a moment, anger came again. Why should Shen be considerate towards Yue? He didn't want to think of how that complete idiot decided to run headfirst into a trap and die, it's stupid (it's what Qi-ge would have done). 

Yunque is quiet and instead does as told. Inexplicably, the anger and irritation dies down and exhaustion takes over. This is... tiring.

Flames are well known for being linked to someone's personality--or soul, depending on who one is talking to, Shen Jiu himself has some theories--but only Flame Actives would know that there are things that go hand in hand with being Active. For one, some traits of one's personalities will be even more pronounced and exaggerated, such as a Sky's possessiveness or a Storm's irritability. After research was conducted, each Flame type is seen to go hand in hand with a certain trait.

Shen Qingqiu didn't like it. He could almost physically feel every time they push--Mist's being flighty and Cloud's being territorial are a very odd combination--and Cloud says "He is mine. They are all mine." while Mist says "leave them be and see how they fare, it'll be fun".

The 'he' that his Cloud says refers to the person sleeping in the same room at that moment. Yunque looks very vulnerable and easy to kill right now. It would take a simple swing of a sword. Or grabbing his skin and using Cloud Flames to propagate until he explodes. Maybe using Mist and directly entering and breaking his mindscape.

It would be far kinder than letting him be cursed.

Qingqiu isn't exactly known for being kind. Since he has warned this person, then there was no need to do anymore... right?

Should he have tried harder?

The memory of him trying to tell Yue Qingyuan of how he had not killed Liu Qingge and the expression that Yue had made slammed into the forefront of his mind and Shen... Vermont sighed, whispering, "Forget it."

The feeling of betrayal hurts, there is no need to try with Yunque anymore if it hurts. Verde believed him though, maybe the others will too? In any case, Xiu Ya is unable to not be on his side and the entirety of the Vindice... don't exactly have the time to betray him. 

...time wears everything down, hatred is slowly washed away. 

How long has Bermuda lived? No matter how much someone hates another being, without initial actual emotional investing then that hate is somewhat weak after the first outburst. This is why he starts gathering the 'Vindice' and together their hate fuels the Night Flames Bermuda has. Even though Shen Jiu says that the all the Vindice has Night Flames, the truth was that Bermuda is the only one who does and they instead share something like a pseudo-hive mind. But at some point when he was gathering his own army, the output of Night Flames became more than the input of resentment. The mummified baby had told him that... at this point, they were all running on fumes. 

Perhaps in less than fifty years... 

Shen Qingqiu has tried calculating, that between this soon-to-be Arcobaleno set, they would have at the very least and unless they die, thirty years and if he was hopeful, fifty. 

It is probably inhumane of him to be happy someone doesn't have enough time to betray him. Shen didn't care.

Morals have never gotten him anywhere. 

The next day, their current teammate, Anna, continues on pestering Shen Qingqiu about whether or not he... she was in a relationship with Yunque of all people and it is supremely annoying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thing about Night Flames is just some weird logic and the reason why the Vindice didn't interfere with the Future Arc and Byakuran. This mission being written in detail is taking way longer than I thought it would have... I thought it would have taken like three chapters and see here
> 
> Do I explain things too much? Most of it is also because I myself will inevitably forget if I don't write an explanation and it will never be explained. 
> 
> Did I make our Dear A-Jiu a little too OP? Huh, wait, what am I talking about there is no such thing as too OP.


	23. Chapter 23

Shen Jiu remembers yellow flames and a promise.

"Promise me, never ever give in to your Flame's base instincts."

At that point of time, he had been rather new to the mafia and despite the fact that Bermuda was the one who taught him, no one can be everywhere at every time. Skies and their Sky Attraction is simply unfamiliar to him and he theoretically knew that they were hard to resist, it wasn't after a certain incident that he started taking them seriously.

One of his informants had fallen for a Sky through Sky Attraction and... "betrayed" is a too heavy word to describe her actions, rather, he liked to think "forced betrayal" is a far better alternative. That Sky had proceeded to cut off their one-sided newly formed bond and left her to take the downfall and what said Sky had thought would be his rage. And Shen Jiu had been angry, upset, furious and most of all confused. Cloud had at that point continuously whispered, why, why did she do it, she's Mine--what did they do to what is Mine?!

And he'd found her, sitting there and looking everything like she had been expecting him. At that point of time, she had looked utterly miserable and the anger had subsided slightly. She'd looked at him as if she was waiting for something and was visibly surprised when he instead sat down next to her. Even now, Qingqiu wondered where and when did his heart go so soft. Must be his parent's fault, damn.

(His parents: We raised you to be a perfectly good person, why are you complaining?! And who taught our baby how to swear?!)

In the end, she had started rambling and spilled the entire story. She smiled at Shen, and told him, "Promise me, never ever give in to your Flame's base instincts."

(In the end, she was laid in a coffin and Shen personally buried her.

In the end, she still decided to step in front of that bastard Sky and take a hit meant for him from Qingqiu and smiled at him while doing so. The complete, utter fool had made him mistakenly kill her and he hates himself for how he had not seen such a thing coming.)

It was at that point that Qingqiu had learnt to push his Flames until they could no longer be heard down and ignore them if he had no need for them. He's become something of an expert at doing so over the years and it is only because of Il Prescelti Sette that he can hear them again now. They were too much in terms of being a potential Set and it is... annoying. Really, really annoying because he has long learnt and now has to relearn. It is unfortunately extra hard when one thinks of the fact that Cherep is newly Active and has no concept of politeness when it comes to his Flames and brushing them up against everyone. Literally. 

Shen Jiu prefers not to think about Flames at all unless he needs to use them because then he keeps on thinking and realizing things.

Verde, in disguise, looks completely unimpressed as he talks about the flaws in the surveillance cameras and how easy it would be for even the average person to break in with the patrol routes. Those patrol routes he talked about were slowly enclosing to one area. It is probably one of their superior's move to do something like warn his rival or something. In short, politics and stupidity will get this base destroyed if they themselves don't get to it first.

"-and you understand what I'm saying, right?" He asks after a while of Shen Jiu being silent. He--she right now--nods and asks instead, "What are your plans for the curse?"

And, to Shen's horror, a haze of purple clouds over Verde's eyes and--"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

The only Mist that would ever dare mess with him at the current time... is Checkerface, Man in the Iron Hat and a goddamn f*cker who dared to touch someonE WHO WAS HIS--

Qingqiu catches the simmering Cloud Flames and presses them down, compressing them until they can't be heard anymore but the damage has been done by now. Verde watches him with a stunned expression and it is probably because despite the fact that he has Cloud Flames, Shen Qingqiu has never outwardly shown any "Cloud" behaviors at all. 

"Listen up." He grits his teeth and tells him harshly. "Some Mist put a sort of block on you and I can't get it off without damaging you. It should come off naturally but don't get angry with me when it does."

"There is a Mist who can get past you?" And of course he gets the wrong point from what Shen Jiu just said. He doesn't truly ever mind it anymore, it is simply one of Verde's endearing traits... though some people would think it very, very annoying and he should probably answer by now, huh? "There will always be mountains beyond mountains and skies beyond skies." He tells the Lightning in lieu of an answer. 

Why would the damn f*cker mess with Verde? Because he knew and he doesn't want his sacrifice to run away?

If that it true then he'll simply try telling Devi, who would trust him more than the others, and see what Checkerface does.

...maybe Yunque too, but it is unlikely because that idiot believed in Luce than him and that--does not hurt at all. He is fine with it, such a thing is expected because he deserves to not be trusted right? Right, look at what happened to the Qiu Haitang that had trusted him, Shen Qingqiu had destroyed her life.

(It hurts, it really hurts and Qingqiu feels like curling up and crying sometimes. He wants his parents back, they would have listened and trusted him... right?)

"Xiao Qingqiu?" Xiu Ya's voice is faint, "Are you alright there? Do you need me?"

No, he wants to say, no I am not alright, yes I need you. He cuts off the mental link for a moment, gathers his composure, makes sure that no illusions are out of place and reconnects. "Yes, I'm fine. No, just stay wherever you are now." 

(It doesn't matter. That idiot won't have too big of a role in this life, Qingqiu will make sure of it.)

"It's about time we go back." Yunque is smiling at him now, having sat next to him even with Verde's glaring. It's almost as if one can see the animosity between them and Shen Jiu isn't even sure why they hate each other so much. Qingqiu knows and has made sure that they do not meet each other at all this life, meaning they first met in the Arcobaleno's first meeting... could it be the rumored "hate in first sight"? Or maybe it's actually "love in first sight" but wait, no, where did this kind of drama-like thinking come from? Xiu Ya!

(The innocent Xiu Ya sneezes, it must be that Xuan Su trash talking me because I dissed that annoying Yue.)

"I can't just dismantle this base?" Shen Qingqiu asks quietly as they walk and are eyed less than at first, probably because people got used to seeing the both of them and if not have heard. He is already getting tired of this place and want to regularly hold Xiu Ya again. He wants to continue the research on what plants and animal parts can be used to replace ingredients in pills and remake them, to make sure that none of the notes he's made over the years of what he remembered from his past life are gone or broken or something. 

Also, there is a young Aria who he can use the body strengthening pills on to see if it worked, just mixed in with a lot of water or tea... wait, right, babies only drink their mother's milk. 

...perhaps he has been with Verde too much if Shen Jiu is starting to think of people as test subjects.

"That would defeat the entire purpose of us going together." Yunque says patiently, such a tone irked him. Qingqiu inwardly wonders where all the tolerance from their first meeting in this life went, because every second spent with the idiot Storm is raising his annoyance levels and Shen knew that he should do something before exploding on Yunque but...

Distance really does make the heart grow fonder.

The opposite is also true in Shen Qingqiu's case. The further away Yunque and he are, the more he feels that the other might not be as bad as he thought but the moment they are in a certain vicinity of each other for a while, all fondness is thrown out the window along with the person himself. He wonders if such a thing is normal.

He replies, "This is going to take a while."

The Storm smiles at him, "It is unofficially a team bonding mission."

"Your point?" Really, what does team bonding have anything to do with how long a mission takes? Can't they all just stay at home and talk, doesn't that count as bonding for civilians? Though, the thinking about it again, sitting down to talk would be rather disastrous, especially because of some weird animosity things that are probably also Flame instinct things that Shen Jiu doesn't want to get involved in.

"Well, we're supposed to have better cooperation and understanding after it." To do that..., "Then why not go on a suicide mission?"

"Huh?" Yunque's smile freezes. Qingqiu wonders what's wrong with him, isn't it obvious that experiencing life and death situations with others is the best way to increase trust? His Shizun and even Bermuda said so, but Qingqiu himself has never truly experienced such things after a while. Damn, the best way to get stronger is also going through life and death situations. Maybe being too strong is also a bad thing.

Shen Jiu ran that thought in his head again and figured that he must be getting delusional. Yunque's smile is less frozen now and he asks, "Why suicide missions?" The look he gives the idiot should very clearly say "Are you an idiot?".

"That... as long as you're around, I don't think there are any suicide missions that can be called suicide missions." Yunque slowly tells him and how is that in any way true? For example... uh... 

...Shen Qingqiu can't think of any.

Mist Flames are really too convenient and any Mist worth talking about should be able to make real illusions. Because even if they fail a mission then it would still be feasible to escape, not to mention they had Verde who is undoubtedly the best at tactics for as long as he acts as such.

Qingqiu would overestimate everyone's abilities too much.

The most suicidal mission they could take at this point of time is killing the future Vongola Nono in front of the entire Vongola Alliance during his Inheritance Ceremony, but even then, Shen Jiu is confident that his illusions would be able to make them not be recognized as his killers and escape successfully. 

But it's not like Checkerface has any reason to hate Vongola. That won't happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it normal for someone to write, stop, try not to cry and repeat? Should I add an angst tag? 
> 
> Also, why does it feel like I am dragging this out for way too long


	24. Chapter 24

"I'm confused." Are Cherep's first words upon seeing Shen Jiu, to which he responded, "Confused about what?"

The Cloud stares at him, taking a moment's hesitation before asking slowly, "So are you actually a Mist or a Cloud? I can't figure out at all."

...truth be told, Shen Jiu himself did not understand it very well. Bermuda says that he has the rarer than Sky Flames dual-primary Flames and though the concept itself is rather simple, in practice, no one knows how it works. Flame researchers think that it's because dual-primaries are often torn apart by their own Flames after activating them and the fact that they have two clashing sets of instincts. They're right, in some ways.

Xiu Ya hasn't explained where it had gotten all the information it had for Flames but even it didn't know about dual-primaries. In constrast, dual-secondary Flames are far more common. To answer Cherep's question, Shen Jiu tells him, "I'm both."

It isn't a lie.

"How are things going in your team?" Shen Jiu redirects the conversation. The confusing Flame instinct and sh*t can be saved for when they go back to that manor, it wouldn't be too late. Cherep is finally catching onto these kinds of subtleties though, because he just goes with it and reports, "All preparations are ready, Verde said that he wants some of the computers to take back home and--"

Just then, the emergency alarms started ringing. An announcement is suddenly made, "Intruders have been spotted! I repeat, intruders have been spotted! All teams on break are to report as reinforcement in the west wing!"

Finally, it happened. 

Shen Qingqiu nods at the stupefied Cherep and drags the Cloud towards the west wing, mind running through every situation he could think of.

...except for this. 

Anna, the complete idiot that is his current teammate bumps into him... her right now, and brightens up at the sight of someone he knew. "Hey! Wait for me, you're too fast!" 

Cherep seems confused on why Shen Qingqiu is avoiding him but goes along with it. Yunque had joined them at some point of time and is currently staring at their holding hands with what can only be called a reaper's smile. Is his having physical contact with others that bad for the Storm? Or could it be that Yunque is actually in love with Cherep or something? It's not like holding hands is anything special.

Maybe the rumors of "Viper" being able to brainwash anyone with a single touch finally got through to him? That rumor is a lie, he doesn't need any contact other than eye contact.

Unfortunately, the west wing is in absolute chaos because apparently despite having reinforcement being sent over, there isn't a single commander to do anything and so everyone is running around like headless chickens. It really is no wonder that the base was so easily broken into. Another unfortunate thing is that because they stopped to look at the chaos that Renato would have loved, Anna caught up with them. He complained about how they didn't wait for him at all, weren't they teammates?

If one were to ask Shen Jiu, no, they aren't teammates. He takes a deep breath and shouts, "Calm down! The intruder is amongst us!"

Yunque easily takes the control handed to him then and asked everyone to please see if there is someone they have never seen in their ranks, if so then they might be the intruders and if there is no one then they will all split up in teams and find the intruder, etcetera. Just the normal things. 

Soon enough, the chaos died down and Renato who had at some point migrated towards them rolled his... her eyes.

"Why couldn't you have let it be? It was fun to watch." Shen Qingqiu rolled his eyes back, "They were ear grating that's what they were. It's our duty too, isn't it?"

'Why are you helping the base?', 'They were annoying and it adds more depth to our disguises.'

Renato smirks and says nothing more, instead going up to Yunque and making a pair with him to make rounds around the west wing. All this time, he hadn't once looked at Cherep and Shen Qingqiu doesn't want to know what he had missed. Cherep too, he does not deign to look at the Sun and so Shen Jiu asks, not beating around the bush like he does with the people he considers employers and clients, "What happened between the two of you?"

He doesn't exactly want to know, but he doesn't not want to know either. Information is vital in everything.

Cherep flinches and winces. The expression is odd on the illusion but Shen can easily imagine it on his actual face, he makes a note to work on his illusions more. "That..."

"If you don't want to say, that's fine too." Cherep looks grateful and nods at Qingqiu. It is only then that he realizes that it is only them and one Anna who hasn't left to go on rounds yet. The Fog sighs, "If you don't annoy me, then we can team up."

Anna brightens up and replies with a 'roger, ma'am!' He's already annoying. Shen Qingqiu suddenly regrets his choice. Cherep looks amused and loops an arm around his, making the two of them look a lot like those young women in the streets and gossiping while shopping. Except they are in uniforms and aren't shopping for beauty products but rather intruders in a secret government base.

"Man, I didn't know the two of you were friends." Anna interrupts his thoughts with a laugh. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I have no reason to talk about friendships and such when the most time we've spent together is during patrols where youa re supposed to be paying attention. Just how were you trained?" Qingqiu jabs at Anna and sees him mock a choked sound and laughs again. "Gal, don't be so uptight, else the guys will be turned off."

"Who cares?" This startles another laugh out of him. It occurs to Shen Jiu that this is the most they have talked and he will likely never be able to talk with them like this after today. 

The plan he and Verde made up demands such a thing.

Anna makes wild gestures with his hands before settling on, "Well I guess not all girls have to be delicate and pretty flowers!"

F*cking gender inequality. Shen personally thinks that he would have been happier as a woman because all men are naturally scum and--Luce does not count she is a madwoman--no woman has ever intentionally hurt him. Or if they did then it's because they were tricked by either the world or himself.

Cherep smiles at him. He raises a brow and asks, "What is it?"

"It's good to see you making friends!" The Cloud answers jovially, as if he had not just shattered several of Qingqiu's views... friends? This is what civilians call making friends? Clearly this was merely making small talk to increase favorability. He has to remember that Cherep is a civilian and therefore does not think the same way as he does, of course making small talk is considered making friends. It means nothing.

It. Means. Nothing.

"By the way, just wondering, but what's your relation to that guy?" Which guy? There are a lot of guys aren't there? Yunque, Verde, Renato, Cherep, Colonello... narrowing it down to Colonello and Yunque because Renato is currently in a female costume and those two are their other teammates. "Which one?"

"Girl, don't be like that! Aren't you two dating? He even specifically requested to room with you!" Yunque did what. Why was Shen Qingqiu not privy to this?

"No. In fact, I would like nothing more than to shove his face in a shredder." Anna sucked in a cold breath at the pure warning laced in Qingqiu's tone and stopped talking. Good, the Fog might just shove his face into a shredder if he continued talking about such ridiculous notions. Tentatively, a familiar Cloud Flame brushed up against him, asking 'are you ok?'. 

Shen sighed in exasperation but let his Fog Flames brush back against it and--wait a f*cking moment here.

Tapping into a mental bond with Cherep is easy, because such skills had been on top of his list to master and ingrain in himself for pure convenience. Asking the question wasn't as easy because it was the first time he realized just how good of an actor the Cloud is. Qingqiu can't believe that he had not realized this and chalked it up to his unwillingness to bond with anyone and therefore push his Flames down all the time. "Why do your Flames have Discord?"

Cherep jolts. "What's Discord?"

...Shen Qingqiu almost forgot, he hadn't explained this concept to Cherep before. And considering that he has never had any actual contact with the Flame Community until he met Il Prescelti Sette...

"Then, have you lost something very important to you before?" Clouds can easily experience Discord after losing their Territory.

"...I lost my group, does that count?" Qingqiu suddenly knows what Checkerface used to make Cherep agree to coming to Il Prescelti Sette's meeting and even joining them now. The goddamn thing actually dared to do this to someone who trusted Shen... ah. Right.

Qingqiu's Territory are the people that trust him.

"Did your Flames consider them Yours?" 

Cherep nods. Shen Jiu takes a deep breath and shoves down the once again simmering Flames, wondering just when did he get so attached to this group of people. He'd known not to get attached, but it still happened. How annoying. "Cherep, do you trust me or Luce more?"

Shen Qingqiu spots the intruders in the corner of his eyes and cast several illusions, directing them towards where the true purpose of this base was being held. Cherep looks around and probably catches the basic and weak--compared to his usual ones, it was, after all, a good learning experience for the Cloud--illusions. He answers after a beat of the intruders going where Qingqiu had directed them.

"It's not that I don't trust her, its just that Luce feels... weird sometimes." Good answer.

"No matter what, don't Harmonize with her." Because if Cherep experiences Discord again, then Qingqiu isn't sure what or how he would do.


	25. Chapter 25

"Why not though? Luce is a little weird, but so is everyone else..." Cherep asks and Shen Jiu wonders just how much of it is actual not knowing and how much of it is acting. The Cloud is starting to really remind him of Shang Qinghua.

...Qingqiu would first kill him before experiencing betrayal yet again. Cherep is His now, if he didn't want it then he shouldn't have told Shen Qingqiu that he trusted him. That's a total of two out of the remaining five confirmed and Qingqiu's Cloud Flames haven't been so calm in a long while. Verde and Cherep. With luck, maybe Devi--meaning Colonello too--and Renato is probably a no-go for the pure mafia mentality that has been ingrained in him.

Yunque? Shen Qingqiu remembers that Cherep had been one of the people who doesn't have a roommate. 

Would the Cloud allow him to stay? Probably, civilians are soft and gullible like that.

"Luce is weird? You know why she's weird right?" A sudden thought hits Shen Jiu. The one in charge of general mafia, meaning the more prominent names and things to note down, is Luce and it is very possible that she skipped entirely on the Giglio Nero donna being a seer thing. Cherep pauses and shakes his head.

No. Was this intentional or not? Qingqiu can't quite tell, he just wants to sink a sword into something now. That something preferably being flesh and blood.

"The Giglio Nero famiglia is famous for their don being able to see the future." He tells Cherep quietly, seeing the illusion the Cloud wear still in surprise. It looks odd, Shen Qingqiu needs to work on his illusions more it seems, he took a mental note to fix his schedule again. 

Luce had introduced herself as Giglio Nero's donna and only the ones in the know, well, know what she was trying to do with that. Namely, reassure them of their continued future and offer herself as a good Sky they can Harmonize with. It's something about Flame Instincts and tradition and Shen Qingqiu gets a headache whenever he tries to think about it because it simply isn't worth worrying over. Especially so when one considers that Qingqiu has no plans of Harmonizing with anyone and will likely maim someone to death before it happens.

...he almost wants to make an exception for Cherep, but logic says that he has no reason to not betray him for Luce.

The knowledge that if he settles into a Set with someone and that someone Harmonizes with a Sky means he will also Harmonize with a Sky... it feels heavy.

"Wait so, she knows what's going to happen??" Cherep asks and Shen Jiu casts a small illusion on Anna to make it seem natural that they follow the intruders down to where the experimentation was being held. He nods and the other sinks into another train of thought. "You should think about it later, we're about to start."

Shouting proceeds to start, as well as shooting and bullets. Both Cherep and Anna yelp and hide for cover and Shen Qingqiu rolls his eyes at the both of them. 

As if he would allow a bullet that isn't illusionary to come their way.

He leaves an illusion in his place and leisurely strolls inside the lab through all the chaos, idly wondering how much longer this mission would take. He has said it several times, this entire farce was getting annoying and Shen Qingqiu wanted to go back to his usual schedule, because at least then Yunque wouldn't have the time to bother him all the time. That said, how long will it be until they are all cursed? Is Checkerface waiting until the last of the previous set dies?

That's alarming when he remembers that the current Sky Arcobaleno--last of her generation and Vongola Ottavo's sister--is currently bedridden and won't last long.

He has to execute the plan to alienate himself immediately... that for some reason sounds odd. Focus! Qingqiu redirects a bullet to a random doctor... scientist? Researcher? Whatever and watches in amusement as the guy chokes on red life before dying. Several casualties would make it seem more genuine right? The Fog makes sure that all the suggestions planted in their heads stay unquestioned and uses one of the computers that was just staying there unattended. Hacking into the files is incredibly easy, so is copying the information down onto a hard-drive and making the chaos stop. 

Renato would be disappointed at how everything stopped so anti-dramatically.

The "intruders" are finally captured and Shen Jiu eases back into visibility, replacing the earlier illusion and acts as if nothing had happened.

Didn't Verde say he wanted one of the computers? Shen Qingqiu had replaced one of them with a real illusion of a broken one and dumps it into the guy's room, the one he was sharing with Colonello. Meaning that he doesn't need to veil it and only needed to fool the cameras a bit.

"Xiao Jiu?" Yunque the damned idiot--yes, not just an idiot anymore but a damned idiot--asks wordlessly.

Qingqiu doesn't answer. He, or she right now, slams the suitcase shut and leaves the room far more dramatically than she--he? It didn't seem to matter as much as it should at the moment--intended to do so. 

There was no need for any gossip, so Shen Qingqiu made sure to cloak himself with an illusion that does not fool the cameras just in case someone gets suspicious and looks through the video feed. Cherep's room isn't that far though and they had already talked about it earlier...

...Qingqiu feels tired. 

Just, really tired. There isn't even a reasonable excuse he can give for it, nothing has been particularly taxing these past few days and everything has been going fine. He wants Xiu Ya and his fan back, he wants to huddle up in the apartment his parents left him and read some of this world's literature. Maybe try learning a new language, look at the differences between this world and his past world's flora and fauna again.

But there are so many things to do, Shen Jiu wishes he could just finish all of them by blinking. Unfortunately, such wonderful things like solving life problems by blinking can only remain fantasy.

Then, how about thinking of how to get Verde out of this mess and kick some other Lightning into his place? Cherep too, how does he help them? Moreover... Verde's best asset as a researcher or scientist is his brain, and with the current mind block on it, will there be any side effects in the long run if it isn't taken away? Ugh. Goddamn Checkerface. Goddamn curse. Goddamn world. 

Why does he even have to take it like that? Qingqiu could just--up and leave everything behind. He could run away and make it so no one ever finds him ever again. Why doesn't he??

Right, because his idiot self decided that getting attached to people is the way of life. 

Cloud Flames greet him and his Fog reflexively bats them away, only to realize what he had done a moment after. Shen Qingqiu nearly jumps up and meets Cherep's hurt look before looking away and telling him, "Sorry, I got used to doing that to everybody..."

The Cloud doesn't even make an effort to hold a grudge. He brightens up and replies, "It's OK!"

"I will never understand civilians..." he mumbles, tensing when Cherep just, decides to, hug him?? Ah?? Why? 

Qingqiu can hear him mumbling a bit, shifting to sit on his chosen bed and bring him closer and has Cherep never learnt stranger danger or something? The room quickly turns awkward before Shen chooses to relax into Cherep's hold, because a civilian won't shoot or stab him in the back will they? It is after that that he is released with a bright smile and exclamation of, "Rule number IDK of affection, never let go until the other relaxes! Besides that--"

...rules of affection, really? Did he, make that up or?? Is it an actual thing that Shen Qingqiu has missed and is it important because he hasn't heard anyone talk about it until now?

(Inexplicably, Qingqiu feels more relaxed.)

"--I was wondering when was the last time you... like, hugged anyone?" Cherep seems to get nervous. Shen regarded him coolly, wondering what the Cloud was getting at. The other laughs, "You looked like you really, really needed a hug. Like, did your parents never touch you or something?"

It takes a moment for Shen Qingqiu to realize that he is glaring horribly at Cherep and making him fidget and seem very uncomfortable.

"...don't talk about my parents like that."

"Sorry." 

Silence. Then, "You know, my parents used to call me Skull."

"Skull?" Shen Qingqiu wanted to say it was interesting but calling one's child 'skull' would be rather grim for a civilian. Or maybe it was some sort of inside joke? Cherep just, laughed. He continued with a grin, "Yeah, said that when I was a lil baby that whenever I dig the soil for fun, I always find a skull of either an animal or a human. It took a while of me doing that before they realized that the house used to be one of those graveyards where they throw random dead bodies into."

That is rather important information. Why is Cherep telling Shen Qingqiu this? To make himself seem less threatening? Or, is it some kind of civilian thing??

Who would give up part of their background so easily?

("I know your accent and about the merchant families there, I also happen to know your aversion to the word 'Qiu', Qingqiu. Don't think you can hide anything from me, it's just that I am making a conscious effort not to piece the puzzle into place until you reveal it to me yourself. Do you understand?"

"..."

"It's fine if you don't, just tell me yourself someday, alright? Preferably after I return, is that fine with you?"

No one ever came back to him.)

Cherep continues talking and Shen Qingqiu feels, for a lack of other words, drowsy. The Cloud asks, after a while and hesitantly, if he wants another hug.

Well, it's not like there's anyone there to see right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really can't wait to get to the Varia arc QAQ 
> 
> LQG please wait for SQQ!! I couldn't control myself and started writing some drabbles please don't be angry haha... I can't seem to stop my hands from typing them please help
> 
> sorry for the long wait? I just, fell into a rabbit hole... or two... tbh even if I say sorry I don't mean it.

**Author's Note:**

> Hahahahah
> 
> Sue me all you like, Shen Jiu will be given a happy ending and somewhat stable and supportive family!!


End file.
